Paris, April 15, 1874, eight o’clock in the evening, in the former studio of the famous photographer Nadar, on Boulevard des Capucines. On the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building, some thirty painters gathered to present a selection of some 165 works to the public. Relive the opening night of the first Impressionist exhibition in virtual reality! A unique, immersive journey back in time, to share with family and friends.
The exhibition that opens its doors in the famous photographer Nadars’ former studio on 15 April 1874 at eight o’clock in the evening brings together independent artists who have chosen to exhibit their works outside the official Salon. The painters involved include Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Berthe Morisot, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro and Edgar Degas.
Equipped with a virtual reality headset, enter the hushed atmosphere of the first Impressionist exhibition – reconstructed for the very first time – and meet the painters when they were still young artists with an uncertain destiny. As you stroll along, excursions will take you outside the exhibition, to the places that marked the beginnings of the movement. You’ll be transported to the Salon, then to the studio of painter Frédéric Bazille, where the idea for the exhibition was born; to the island of Grenouillère, where Monet and Renoir painted together; and finally to Le Havre, where Monet executed his famous painting Impression, Soleil Levant. These escapes will give you a better grasp of the links between the members of the group, the substance of their quest and the importance of the artistic movement they were inventing.
The program is based on in-depth research that enabled us to bring together the sources required for the truest possible reproduction of Nadar’s studio and the exhibition that took place in it. Thanks to the work of experts in 3D reconstruction and virtual reality, and under the scientific direction of the Musée d’Orsay, this experience invites you to take part in this major event in the history of art.
Details
Running time: 1h including 45 min of wandering virtual reality
Full rate time-stamped*: €32
Time-stamped reduced rate**: €16
* Includes access to the permanent collections and the exhibition Inventing Impressionism. Paris, 1874, subject to availability and closing times.
** For visitors who already have a right of access to the museum or who are entitled to free admission.
