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The Arts Intel Report

En Jeu! Artists and Sport (1870–1930)

Kees van Dongen, La Course, 1904.

July 24 – Sept 1, 2024
2 Rue Louis Boilly, 75016 Paris, France

The modern art era began in France in 1874. I’m referring to the legendary show at 35 Boulevard des Capucines, in Paris, where Berthe Morisot, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and others presented their revolutionary paintings—the founding works of the movement called “Impressionism.” Pivoting around the theme of sports and its modern depictions, the exhibition “En Jeu!” begins in the 1870s with stick figures by Monet ice-skating on a mottled lake; at that time, the sport was an elitist activity for the rich. It ends in 1930, when ice-skating was a pastime and a pleasure for everyone. More than 160 works by artists ranging from Auguste Rodin to Robert Delaunay are on view, many on loan in honor of the Olympics. —Elena Clavarino

Photo: © RMN-Grand Palais / Mathieu Rabeau © ADAGP, Paris