More than a simple exhibition, the Maillol Museum (not far from our hotels) has a new retrospective of the work of Nadia Khodossievitch-Léger, one of the most important painters of the 20th century, with over 150 paintings on show.

Nadia Léger and her work have all but been forgotten, perhaps because of her political leanings, possibly because of her husband’s prominence. This new retrospective is the perfect way to discover or rediscover her work and learn more about her life.

The seven-part presentation takes us from the village in Belarus where she was born, to Paris where she spent much of her life:

— Nadia’s Pantheon, her first portraits, or rather preparatory sketches, made between 1944 and 1971,

— Smolensk, Warsaw, Paris – In search of the avant-garde, her first paintings, a mix of the figurative and the abstract,

— Fernand Léger, Dialogue with the ‘master’, her meeting with the man who could change her life forever,

— L’Atelier Léger – A laboratory of Modernism, the art school that the couple founded, where more than 350 artists attended between 1924 and 1955,

— Resistance – militant painting, exploring the artist’s dedication to communism,

— In service fo the party – art and propaganda, how Léger supported the communist party through her art, and

— The ghost of Malevich – a return to the avant-garde for the artist during the 1960s.

The retrospective finishes with a short film about Léger’s life.

For more information on the subject, French-speakers may be interested in a 76-page album about the artist that has just been published. It’s available for 14.50€ at the museum, or here from your local Amazon.

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The exhibition Nadia Léger – an Avant-Garde Woman is at the Maillol Museum (here) until 23rd March 2025

Open every day from 10.30am-6.30pm (10pm Wednesdays)

Admission: 16.50€ / 12.50€ (online ticket office here)

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