The exhibition “Wild Souls. Symbolism in the Baltic States “was inaugurated on April 9, 2018 at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris by the President of the French Republic and the three Presidents of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).

As part of the celebrations of the centenary of the Baltic states, this exhibition allows Europeans to discover the Baltic Symbolism, with paintings from the 1890s to the 1920s-1930s.

With the exception of Lithuanian world-renowned painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, most of the artists are coming back to light for the first time outside their home country.

The exhibition traces the games of influences and resistances through which artists have forged a language peculiar to their universe. By using the elements of popular culture, folklore and local legends, as well as the singularity of their landscapes, they bring out an art of genuine originality.

The three Baltic states established themselves as independent states shortly after the end of the First World War in 1918. It was a hundred years ago, then. The opportunity to return to the national feeling expressed through a singular artistic movement, the Baltic symbolism.

If the theme of the exhibition may seem a little difficult to access, the works, mostly unknown to the French public, are striking and far from insensitive. We discover how a century ago, artists experienced the independence of their countries. Their creations do not reflect the reality but their feelings. This is called “symbolism”.

The general curator of this exhibition is the General Curator of Heritage, Rodolphe Rapetti.

The exhibition will be open to the public until July 15, 2018. Click HERE to get more information from the Exhibition directly from the Museum of Orsay website.

An interesting video on the exhibition can be enjoyed by clicking in the following image:

We organise three private tours in Paris, including the in-depth visit to Musée d’Orsay. All our tours are specialised in Art Nouveau – CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION or go to the PRIVATE TOURS section of the webpage.