Prince Albert lends private works to Paris Éva Gonzalès show
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
Seven pieces from Prince Albert II's personal collection are now on public display at the Petit Palais in Paris as part of a major retrospective on Monegasque-born painter Éva Gonzalès.
Seven works from Prince Albert II's personal collection have gone on public display at the Petit Palais in Paris, forming part of a major retrospective dedicated to Éva Gonzalès, the Impressionist painter born in Monaco in 1849. The Sovereign attended a preview on Monday 14 September, accompanied by Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire and the exhibition's curatorial team, before the show opened its doors to the general public.
Gonzalès is a significant but often overlooked figure in the Impressionist movement - a pupil of Édouard Manet and the only formal female student he accepted during his lifetime. Her Monaco origins make the Palace's involvement in the exhibition a natural fit, and the loan of works from the Prince's private holdings adds considerable weight to what is already a rare gathering of her paintings.
For Monaco residents and those with an interest in the Principality's cultural heritage, the Paris show offers a chance to see pieces rarely visible outside the Palace walls. The Petit Palais exhibition is open to the public from 15 September.