Camille Pissarro, Two Women Chatting by the Sea, St. Thomas, 1856, oil on canvas, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

I am not a particular fan of Camille Pissarro but Musée Marmottan always has nice shows and walking through the Ranelagh gardens on the way, is an extra bonus. The new exhibition « Pissarro, the first of the Impressionists » is a good surprise. From the painter‘s origins in St Thomas in the Caribbean, to his paintings of Norman harbors and gardens in winter, the 60 paintings are definitely worth the trip

Camille Pissarro, “Peasant Girl with a Straw Hat”, 1881, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

Very inspired by Corot and Daubigny in the 1860’s, Pissarro soon discovers light and open air paintings and switches to impressionism in the late 80’s. I had already noticed his « Avenue de l’Opéra », the first French painting bought by Russian collector Shchukin in 1898. Later his views of the Seine as seen from his flat on place Dauphine are just as beautiful as are the paintings of the Louvre. An “habitué” of La Roche Guyon, Montmorency and Pontoise, he also painted along the Marne and l’Oise rivers.  He was very admired by Zola, Gauguin and Cézanne.

Le Pont-Neuf, après-midi, soleil, première série, 1901, 
© Philadelphia Museum of Art, Bequest of Charlotte Dorrance Wright

The diversity of his style is obvious in this show, where works have been picked with great care by Claire Durand Ruel-Snollaerts and Christophe Duvivier, the two curators. The contrast between his early dark paintings and « Gelée blanche à Ennery », 1973, is very striking. There are ravishing portraits of young girls like « Jeune fille à la baguette », a painting of a shepherdess given by Isaac de Camondo to Musée d’Orsay in 1911.

La Charcutière, 1883 Tate, legs de Lucien Pissarro, fils de l’artiste, © Tate Photography

Paintings have come from Japan and Mexico and mostly form America for this exceptional show in honor of the painter who died in 1903.

Another smaller show of Pissarro is taking place at Musée du Luxembourg near the Senate. It is focused on the last twenty years of his life when he moved, (with his young wife and four children) to Eragny sur Epte, 40 kms north of Giverny. Curated by Richard Brettell and Joachim Pissarro, it shows wonderful scenes of apple picking and works in the fields. But I found the theme of the paintings a little monotonous.

The vegetable garden and the Church at Eragny, 1899, Fukushima Prefectural Museum

His youngest son, Paul Emile, was born there et Claude Monet is his godfather. His paintings are exhibited by Theo Van Gogh and then by Durand Ruel. In the 1890’s, he moves to Paris where he lives on rue de Rivoli and on place Dauphine. The details in which he paints the small village is fascinating and this second show brings special poetry to Pissarro’s work. (until July 9, at Musée du Luxembourg and July 2, at Musée Marmottan)

Apple picking in Eragny, 1887-88, Dallas Museum of Art