Inspiration at the Grand Palais

The Grand Palais once again enticed us with copious posters on the métro. Large type screamed out “Cézanne” and “Matisse”. How could we possibly resist? Fond memories of the epic Monet retrospective that we had visited back in January were still fresh in our minds, so we were eager to see the latest thing that was pulling the crowds to the Champs Élyseés. The same musician as before was playing by the entrance, a stoic clarinettist working his way through popular classics and light opera to entertain the queue dwellers outside. The exhibition inside, however, was very different.

There were paintings on the walls and sculptures in cabinets, that was true, but the purpose of the event was not to detail the careers of particular artists or even to shed light on a particular artistic style or movement. The exhibition focussed instead on the relationships which various painters, sculptors, writers and architects had with the Stein family, most specifically Gertrude, her brothers Leo and Michael and her sister-in-law Sarah. Making use of their fortune, the Steins decided to cross the Atlantic from America to Europe and immerse themselves in the ways of art. Setting up home in two central Parisian apartments they hung their walls with the early works of such greats as Picasso and Matisse, simultaneously becoming enthusiastic patrons of the arts and close friends with many of the people whose careers they launched and incomes they augmented.

The practice of artistic patronage was a fascinating business. Financial and practical considerations often influenced purchasing decisions. For example, sketched studies for large scale works by Picasso were bought, but not the full sized, finished paintings. Matisse benefited from their custom in the early part of his career, but later on his work became too popular and thus too expensive for them to buy. When wall space in their apartments became limited, they obviously had to stop buying pieces at the same pace. Although studying artistic processes and the theory of aesthetics was important to him, letters written by Leo reveal him admitting that a lot of his collecting was down to personal taste. Quite often he simply bought what he liked.

Beyond the basic practicalities of building up an art collection, the life led by the Steins in Paris was something amazing and instantly attractive to my husband and I. Their Saturday night soirees were legendary. They entertained the great and the good of the burgeoning Parisian creative scene. People wanted to be invited into their circle, not just to view their impressive private gallery but to feed on the intellectual energy that surrounded them. We envied that conjunction of wealth and a particular point in history, a time when Paris was alive with new artistic ideas, that enabled the Steins to become the hub of such an exciting, enriching wheel. What if our little rented apartment in the Marais could become something similarly effervescent? What if we could become known throughout the city as the supports over which artistic bridges crossed? Ah, what if, what if?

Though the age has passed where Le Corbusier could write letters to his mother telling her how intelligent his clients (the Steins) were and how well they understood his vision, there remains something about Paris that can tweak the cultural sensibilities of any human soul. On late summer evenings the sunsets over the Seine went through a period of particular beauty. My husband was gripped with a sudden desire to capture them, so for several nights in a row he left work as early as he could and we ran, cameras in hand, down to the Pont Neuf. As the orange rays from the sinking sun splayed out behind the distant Eiffel Tower we were not the only ones watching. People came with huge cameras on tripods or just with their mobile phones, capturing images and making their own little bits of history in Paris, the city of a million artists.

So as I contemplated the bronze statue of Gertrude Stein, seated Buddha-like and imposing at the end of one of the exhibition rooms, I realised that I am unlikely to achieve the triptych of writer, patron and muse that found a oneness in this great lady. I can, though, take the creative spark that Paris so graciously gives to all and see what fires I can start with it. Creativity itself is free, you see, and I believe more prevalent in this wonderful city that most other places.

"L'Aventure des Stein" exhibition website.