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1.
The museum and outside sculpture park is sited in the urban
park of France's first new town started in the
1970's
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Popular French modern art
gallery
At weekends and holidays, you will enjoy this striking
museum in the company of families and children. The Museum
building looks like a construction of Lego bricks set in a
private compound in the middle of a lovely urban park -
deliberately merging nature and culture, and worth spending
a day to explore.
The Museum (opened 1983) was designed by the architect
Roland Simounet to house a prestigious collection donated in
1979 to the city of Lille by Jean Masurel (1908-1991)
- a Northern textile
factory owner and patron of several modern artists from
the 'fifties on.
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2.
In the attractive spacious galleries, visitors stop to look
at a photo-collage by Lewis Baltz "The politics of bacteria"
(1995).
3.
Guided visits and creative art workshops can be arranged for
groups.
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4.
Fernand Léger: "le Mécanicien"
(1918)
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Story of the collection
Masurel was the nephew of Roger Dutilleul
(1873-1956), a Parisian who had built up a private
collection started in 1905 of avant-garde works such as
cubism, and other artistic developments between the wars.
Masurel followed his uncle's example - starting with the
purchase of a gouache by Fernand Leger - then
inheriting and adding to his uncle's collection.
Artists represented
The Museum illustrates the amazing diversity and vitality of
the French artistic scene in the early part of the 20th
century, with works by Derain, Kees Van
Dongen, and cubists such as Braque (1862-1963)
and Picasso (1881-1973) - who caused a storm of
controversy in their day.
There are experimental cubist sculptures by Henri
Laurens (1885-1954).
The Museum has third largest collection of works by
Fernand Léger (1881-1956) -who explored the
themes of work and the machine in the modern world.
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5.
Joan Miró: "3 people on a black background" (1934)
6.
Amedeo Modigliani: "Seated nude" (1917)
7.
Early Pablo Picasso: "Nature of death in Spain" (1912)
8.
Late Picasso outside in sculpture park: "Femme aux bras
écartés" (1962) - a concrete and stone
sculpture executed when the artist was 80.
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The collection has international scope, including works
by surrealist Miró, Masson,
Klee, Kadinsky. Other groups of artists
illustrate the development of abstract art in the 'fifties,
including over 40 works by Lanskoy, and some
interesting sculptures - some of which are displayed outside
in the sculpture park.
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Background
information
Modern
Art
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Reviewer -
Location: Musée d'Art
Moderne, 1 Allée du Musée,
59650 VILLENEUVE D'ASCQ
Exit 5-6 from Autoroute A22
Lille-Tourcoing-Gand; follow road parallel to autoroute
until sign for 'Cousinerie'.
Information/
reservations:
Tel: 00 33 3 20 19 68 68 - Fax: 00 33 3 20 19 68 99
Cafe-restaurant: Tel: 00 33 3 20 19 68 44
E-mail:mam@nordnet.fr
Website: www.nordnet.fr/mam
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