L'École de Paris

“Foreigners belong in France because they have always been here and did what they had to do there…Paris was where the twentieth century was.” – Gertrude Stein, Paris France, 1940.

In January 1925, André Warnod, art critic for the cultural broadsheet Comœdia , sought a label that could recognize and legitimize the contributions of both émigré and French-born artists to contemporary art in France. He adopted the term 'École de Paris', which, in its broadest sense, referred to artworks produced in Paris during the first half of the twentieth century.

While Warnod's grouping of diverse, multidisciplinary artists might appear somewhat arbitrary, the artists were, in fact, united by a common spirit: a commitment to innovation, a rejection of academic traditions, and, in most cases, a conscious departure from Impressionism.

With the term remaining significant in the second half of the century, this exhibition traces eight decades of art shaped by Paris — both as a subject and as a catalyst for artistic exchange and experimentation. L'École de Paris charts the evolution of key movements, from Expressionism and Surrealism to Purism and Abstraction, while also offering insight into the personal connections that define the School. These relationships were often rooted in shared cultural backgrounds, as seen with Chaïm Soutine, Marc Chagall, and Moïse Kisling; common national origins, as with Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso; or familial ties such as those between Victor Vasarely and Jean-Pierre Yvaral.

L'École de Paris celebrates the richness of European art in all its cultural diversity, while affirming Paris's enduring role as the hub of artistic innovation throughout the twentieth century.