Sunday, July 14, 2013

Au revoir Paris . . . Ciao Italy!


Today was our last day in Paris.  We spent much of our morning at the Musee d’ Orsay where we enjoyed the work of Impressionism and Post Impressionism artists including Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, Gauguin, and Degas (our favorite!). But, we were not at the Musee today to see those artists; they were simply the icing on the cake.  We were there to study a very special collection of art by French artists in an exhibit called: A Passion for France.  The Marlene and Spencer Hays Collection.  This exhibit was designed to perfectly marry fashion with visual art. This collection excited us because it captured the point of why we are here on this fellowship grant. The artwork we saw gave particular attention to elegant clothing worn by men and women while highlighting beautiful settings.

A special surprise was learning that the collection’s owners, the Hays Family of USA, display the work in one of their homes in Nashville, Tennessee.  They simply loaned the collection to the Musee d’ Orsay for a summer exhibition.  We were thrilled to learn that we can share this amazing collection of art with our students at home.  We will be planning a collaborative field trip soon!

After enjoying a final meal in Paris, we began the long trek to the airport by way of the metro with all of our luggage in tow. Thankfully the trip only took an hour and a half and most of the stairs were DOWN rather than up. 

We are saying goodnight from our comfortable room at a bed and breakfast in Italy.  Tomorrow we will wake up in Venice!

Ciao Ciao

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