If you are not familiar with the colourful paintings by Tarsila do Amaral filled with nature and animals (or sometimes portraits), now’s the time to get to know the work of this militant Brazilian painter and francophile in the new exhibition that showcases her work at the Luxembourg Museum, just minutes from our hotels.

Born in 1886, Tarsila do Amaral is one the best know artists in Brazil, and her time in Paris in the 1920s may have helped her to be reach the level of recognition she deserved.

Mixing cultures and styles, with touches of surrealism and the occasional hint of the Douanier Rousseau, do Amaral created brightly-coloured portraits and landscapes, filled with metaphores and references.

Organised in collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Tarsil do Amaral exhibition – the first retrospective of her work organised in France, with around 150 works on show – examines the different choices of the artist in the 1920s, 30s and 40s, evolving from activism to near-abstract geometry, right up to her last paintings of the 1960s, before her death in 1973.

With six themed rooms and a strong ecological theme in the paintings, the exhibition has been eco-consciously designed, with low-consumption LED lighting that has been rented rather than bought especially, robust showcases and floor coverings that can be reused, and the use of recycled and recyclable materials wherever possible.

Linked with the exhibition, in addition to the audioguides and guided visits, you might be interested in:

— a number of conferences in the Médicis Room of the nearby Palais du Luxembourg (a presentation of the exhibition on 18th October, Le Paris brésilien des Années folles on 6th January, Tarsila et la samba on 13th January…),

— four writing workshops in November, lasting 2 hours each,

— a ‘party’ weekend on 7th & 8th December, with samba and bossa nova workshops, a big batucada parade on the Sunday with the group Maracatu Nation Oju Oba, and a concert by the Hélios Ensemble,

— a soundwalk of the exhibition created by Rodolphe Alexis, who flew to Brazil to record the wildlife of the national parks and nature reserved in order to create an immersive soundtrack for your visit, available free in the Museum’s app (for iOS and Android).

A catalogue of the exhibition (208 pages, 160 illustrations, around 40€) is also available here at your local Amazon.

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The Tarsila do Amaral exhibition is at the Luxembourg Museum (here) until 2nd February 2025

Open every day from 10.30am-7pm (10pm Mondays). Closes early (6pm) on 24th & 32st December. Closed 25th December

Admission: 14€ / 10€ (online sales here). 10€ for two people aged 16-25 weekdays after 4pm. Free for under-16s

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Une publication partagée par Musée du Luxembourg (@museeduluxembourg)