Sundays the Museum Barberini presents lectures (in German) on the topic “150 Years of Impressionism” or Modigliani: Modern Gazes. Museum curators, conservators, and guides speak about their various disciplines and areas of work, offering a glimpse behind the scenes and offering new perspectives on the works of art.

Costs
€ 5 plus admission

Venue
Auditorium

Runtime
50 minutes

Please note
The lectures are offered also digitally as an Online Live Talk on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Apr 21, 2024, 1 p.m.
Auguste Renoir: Impressionist Painter from the Beginning
Lutz Stöppler, Art historian

The painter Auguste Renoir was at the heart of the group that organized its first joint exhibition in 1874. His early works, which can also be seen in the collection of the Museum Barberini, illustrate how influences from Gustave Courbet and the painters of the “Barbizon School” shaped the development of the new painting style. Renoir’s close relationships with Gustave Caillebotte and Berthe Morisot highlight how their shared enthusiasm for innovative art transcended the social divides between his working-class background and their upper-middle-class standing. Remarkably, Renoir, who had only attended elementary school, was the only Impressionist in the group who consistently published texts on theories of art.

May 5, 2024, 1 p.m. 
Berthe Morisot – “A hand that does not cheat”: Impressionist of the First Hour
Dr. Ira Oppermann, Art historian

In December 1873, Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) joined the newly founded Parisian artists' association Société anonyme des artistes, peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs. This was a very self-confident, emancipated decision, especially as both her friend Édouard Manet and her teacher Camille Corot advised against it and she was already allowed to exhibit at the Salon. Nevertheless, Morisot played an important role in the eight impressionist exhibitions of this group. The artist created a very independent oeuvre - with a preference for depicting women and transparent, white tones, so that Paul Mantz wrote as late as 1877: "There is only one Impressionist in the group of revolutionaries, and that is Berthe Morisot."

May 26, 2024, 1 p.m.
Claude Monet: Impressionist, Revolutionary, Pioneer of Modernism
Gesine Harms, Art historian

The French artist Claude Monet is one of the most renowned Impressionists and among the most popular painters of all time. His landscapes, flooded with light and color that masterfully capture the fleeting interplay of atmospheric phenomena, continue to amaze and delight to this day. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the first of eight legendary Impressionist exhibitions and highlighting the extensive holdings of 39 paintings by Monet in the Plattner Collection, the lecture traces his artistic development. The focus is not only on Monet’s role as a co-founder of Impressionism, but also on the radically new path that Monet pursued in his landscape painting right from the start. This includes his experimental series through to the abstract-seeming water lily motifs of his later years.

June 2, 2024, 1 p.m.
City of Bohemia: Amedeo Modigliani’s Paris
Isabelle Runde, Art historian

The Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani moved to Paris in 1906, where he lived until his death in 1920. Studios and academies, salons and galleries, theaters and cabarets, cafés and ballrooms formed the matrix of the vibrant art scene at the beginning of the 20th century. This is where Modigliani moved between Montmartre and Montparnasse. The lecture follows his footsteps in the art world of the metropolis around 1900.

June 16, 2024, 1 p.m.
Camille Pissarro: Between Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism
Dr. Ira Oppermann, Art historian

No other artist from the Impressionist group devoted as much attention to fostering good collaboration between colleagues as the painter Camille Pissarro (1830-1903). He was particularly enthusiastic about exhibiting together and participated in all eight of the group’s exhibitions. Pissarro recognized the advantages of working together and always acted as a mediator when conflicts arose. His work, oscillating between the suburbs and Paris, serves as an Impressionist homage to country life on the one hand and, on the other, comprises of important cityscapes – both focusing on street scenes. Stylistically, he changed between the Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist styles.

July 14, 2024, 1 p.m.
City of Bohemia: Amedeo Modigliani’s Paris
Isabelle Runde, Art historian

The Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani moved to Paris in 1906, where he lived until his death in 1920. Studios and academies, salons and galleries, theaters and cabarets, cafés and ballrooms formed the matrix of the vibrant art scene at the beginning of the 20th century. This is where Modigliani moved between Montmartre and Montparnasse. The lecture follows his footsteps in the art world of the metropolis around 1900.

Aug 11, 2024, 1 p.m.
1874–1886: The Group Exhibitions of the Impressionists in Paris
Lutz Stöppler, Art historian

The year 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the first exhibition of the Impressionist group. Understanding the importance of this initial 1874 showcase for the artists and the nascent style of painting becomes clearer when contrasted with the last of the eight group exhibitions. The inclusion of Neo-Impressionism (Pointillism) into the 8th exhibition in 1886 provides an insightful comparison with the paintings from the previous exhibitions. The decision by Monet and Renoir to no longer exhibit with the group, opting instead for new ways to present their paintings, reflects how they saw and wanted to communicate their art. Furthermore, the significant role of the painters Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt within the group will be highlighted.