Maurice Denis, Paysage aux arbres verts, 1893, Paris Musée d’Orsay, photo Hervé Lewandowski

The new exhibition at Musée d’Orsay, « Beyond the stars, the mystical landscape from Monet to Kandinsky », is an ode to trees and endless landscapes, a tribute to Baudelaire’s poem « Correspondances » one of the pillars of symbolism. I was surprised to find Monet’s four cathedrals in the first room facing his haystacks… But there are many discoveries to be made in this dream show conceived with the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Emile Bernard, Madeleine au Bois d’Amour, 1888, Musée d’Orsay, photo Patrice Schmidt

There are for me three high moments in the show which includes super famous paintings as well as completely unknown ones. The nabis room with all the magic trees by Emile Bernard, Maurice Denis, Paul Sérusier, Georges Lacombe and Piet Mondrian is the highlight: from red to green, they are all enchanting and surprising.

Van Gogh, La Nuit étoilée, 1888, Musée d’Orsay

Then come the wide spaces of Canada, represented by Emily Carr, a brilliant artist I had never seen before and Lawren Stewart Harris with his « Isolation Peak ». Some Swedish painters  follow with Strindberg’s « Wave VIII » and Eugene Jansson’s night landscapes. There is a beautiful « Mount Niesen » by Ferdinand Hodler my cherished Swiss painter.

Emily Carr, Forest, British Columbia, 1931-32, Vancouver art gallery

Then comes Van Gogh with his « La Nuit Etoilée », 1888, a stunning night painting of the Rhône, given to Musée d’Orsay by Mr and Mrs Robert Kahn-Sriber, completely atypical of Van Gogh and fascinating. I went back three times in the show to see it.

Maurice Denis, Chemin dans les arbres, ca 1891, St Germain en Laye, Musée départemental Maurice Denis

The last room is dedicated to Georgia O’Keefe and one can sit and listen to Charles Ives’ « The unanswered question «, 1906,  for 6 minutes. The room is bright blue and the magic of the Nabis has disappeared.

I found it hard to understand the logic of the show curated by Katharine Lochnan and Guy Cogeval who is leaving his presidency of Orsay and is replaced by Laurence des Cars.

But some of the paintings are so attractive that I walked out, my eyes filled with beauty. (until June 25)