Events
The Arts Society Nerja
The Extraordinary Life of Misia Sert:
Celebrated Parisian Socialite 1872-1950
In 1908 Misia saw a production
of ‘Boris Godunov’ designed by
Serge Diaghilev thus starting a
close relationship with
Diaghilev and the Ballets
Russes. Misia helped finance
the company and took a keen
interest in the new music by
Stravinsky, Satie and others.
She was with Diaghilev when
he died in Venice in 1929.
Tuesday February 13, 2018 at The Cultural Centre (Casa
Cultura) Calle Granada, Nerja. 6pm (Doors open at 5pm and
tickets only available on the night). Entrance €10.
A full illustrated lecture in English by Julian Halsby
Sponsored by Sanysol, Vélez Málaga.
Born Marie Godebska, daughter of a Polish sculptor living in
France, Misia was brought up in Brussels and Paris where she
became a pupil of Gabriel Fauré and a noted concert pianist. In
1893 she married Thadée Natanson owner of ‘La Revue
Blanche’ an important art magazine which featured the work of
Bonnard, Vuillard, and Toulouse–Lautrec all of whom painted
and drew the beautiful and talented Misia Natanson. Renoir
painted her portrait while declaring his love for her, as did
Edouard Vuillard and during the 1890’s the Natansons were at
the centre of the Paris art world.
In 1917 Misia met Coco Chanel
and admired “her genius, lethal
wit, sarcasm and maniacal
destructiveness, which
Misia portrayed on the cover of
intrigued and appalled
La revue blanche, by Toulouse-
everyone”: these two
Lautrec
extraordinary women were
inseparable in their later years.
This is an extraordinary and fascinating story of a talented and
beautiful woman who was muse and patron of the arts who has
been described as ‘The Queen of Paris’.
In 1895 Misia’s life changed when her husband lost his money
which led to the breakdown of her marriage. She met and
married a rich industrialist Alfred Edwards and Misia enjoyed
her role as a wealthy patron of artists and musicians. Maurice
Ravel dedicated ‘La Cygne’ and ‘La Valse’ to Misia who also
accompanied Caruso on the piano. In 1909 the marriage ended
when Edwards fell for the young actress Genevieve Lantelme.
Misia soon met and married José-Maria Sert a highly successful
Spanish painter of extravagant murals.
Julian Halsby studied History of Art at Cambridge. Formerly
Senior Lecturer and Head of Department at Croydon College
of Art. Publications include Venice - the Artist's Vision (1990,
1995), The Art of Diana Armfield RA (1995), Dictionary of
Scottish Painters (1990, 1998, 2001, 4th edition 2010), A Hand
to Obey the Demon’s Eye (2000), Scottish Watercolours 1740 -
1940 (1986, 1991), A Private View - David Wolfers and the New
Grafton Gallery (2002). Interviews artists for The Artist
Magazine and is a member of the International Association of
Art Critics and The Critics Circle. A practising artist, he was
elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1994 and
appointed Keeper in 2010. Julian talked to us in May 2015
about British and Amercian artists in Venice.
The Seven Areas of Contemporary Art
Photography
Tuesday February 20, 2018 at 11am. Venue: The Nerja Caves
Museum (Museo de Nerja) Plaza Espana, Nerja. Doors open at
10.30am (tickets only available at the door). A full illustrated
lecture in English by Ludo Slabbaert.
How can we better understand the contemporary art
photography when looking at art photos in a gallery, at an art
exhibition or in a catalogue? In this lecture Belgian amateur
photographer Ludo Slabbaert will reveal an easy and practical
way to interpret art photos by dividing them into seven
different categories. These categories or areas - as he likes to
call them - were chosen to avoid giving the impression that it is
either style or the choice of the subject that determines the
characteristics of current art photography. He will illustrate his
system by lots of photos of well known art photographers.
A member of The Arts Society Nerja, Ludo Slabbaert was born
in 1950 and studied Photo-Art at the Royal Academy of Arts in
his home-town Antwerp. He is a member of several photo-
clubs even in Nerja and an official lecturer for the Flemish
Amateur Photographers’ Society. He is a specialist in large
format landscapes and in the reconstruction of old glass plate
negatives.
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