Nadia Léger exhibition at the Maillol Museum | Ticket Reservation

at the Maillol Museum until March 23, 2025

Book now

Discover the TOP exhibitions of the moment

THE EXHIBITION:

“Nadia Leger. An avant-garde woman” takes over the Maillol Museum from November 8, 2024 to March 23, 2025. This major retrospective highlights the incredible career of Nadia Khodossievitch-Léger (1904-1982), a major figure in 20th century art. century. Through more than 150 works, the exhibition retraces the journey of this daring artist, in turn painter, resistance fighter, magazine editor and fervent communist activist. An unmissable event for all modern art and history enthusiasts, and the perfect opportunity to book your ticket at the Maillol Museum to discover one of the most anticipated cultural events of the season.

Nadia Leger, Self-portrait with a plant1956. Photo IMAV éditions © Sabam

THE FIRST STEPS OF AN AVANT-GARDE ARTIST

Nadia Khodossievich, born in 1904 in a village in Belarus, grew up in a tumultuous social and political context. His early years were marked by poverty and the shocks of the Russian Revolution. Nevertheless, these trials nourished his political conscience and his artistic determination. Trained in the art schools opened following the 1917 revolution, Nadia discovered Cubism and Suprematism very early on, movements which would have a lasting influence on her creations.

Nadia Leger, The Builders1953 © DR

At 21, she arrived in Paris after a stay in Warsaw, where she studied at the School of Fine Arts. In the French capital, she joined the Modern Academy founded by Fernand Léger and Amédée Ozenfant. It did not take long for her talent to be noticed: Nadia quickly became the assistant of Fernand Léger, whose teaching nourished her artistic approach, then in search of a balance between abstraction and figuration. His paintings, influenced by Cubism and his Eastern European roots, already stand out for their singular modernity.

It was at this time that she actively participated in the exhibitions of the Atelier Léger, thus joining a community of emblematic painters, including Nicolas de Staël, Hans Hartung and Marcelle Cahn. Nadia Léger draws on her experiences and her Parisian encounters to evolve her palette and push the aesthetic boundaries of her work.

Nadia Leger, Self-portrait with red flag1936. © DR

FROM POLITICAL COMMITMENT TO THE ACT OF CREATION

It was in 1933 that Nadia joined the French Communist Party, driven by a deep desire to transform society. This political commitment is found in some of his paintings, includingSelf-portrait with red flag (1936). Through this painting, the artist expresses his revolutionary ideal and his desire to place creation at the service of a collective fight.

During the Occupation, Nadia joined the Resistance. While Fernand Léger went into exile in the United States, she remained in Paris and got involved in clandestine missions, assuming different pseudonyms and increasing the number of trips. This period of danger and concealment in no way slowed down her artistic production: on the contrary, Nadia drew from urgency and adversity the strength to paint committed works, witnesses of her combativeness.

At the Liberation, she redoubled her efforts to support the French Communist Party, putting her art at the service of a message which, according to her convictions, should reach as many people as possible. His paintings then oscillate between committed realism and a form of stylization close to suprematism. This tension between two apparently opposing aesthetics becomes one of Nadia Léger’s signatures.

A JOURNEY BETWEEN SUPREMATISM AND THE PRESENTATION OF MODERNITY

The exhibition “Nadia Leger. An avant-garde woman proposes” a chronological journey into the multiple facets of this artist who long remained in the shadow of Fernand Léger. Thanks to a tour spread over several levels (ground floor, first and second floors of the Maillol Museum), visitors discover pieces masters who illustrate the evolution of a constantly changing work.

Nadia Leger, Self-portrait, The oath of a resistance fighter1941. Photo IMAV éditions © Sabam

-

Among the highlights of the visit is the “Nadia’s Pantheon”, a set of tribute portraits painted in gouache, mentioned in the press and presented in the exhibition. We discover the gallery of characters who inspired the artist, whether political figures like Stalin or illustrious creators such as Tolstoy and Chagall. Arranged on flat colored areas, these faces reflect Nadia’s admiration for the great names of her time, while announcing a resolutely modern pictorial language, not devoid of kinship with the pop art which would emerge later.

The retrospective also highlights Nadia Léger’s return to pure abstraction in the 1960s, influenced by the conquest of space and the mythical figure of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. Fascinated by the feat, the artist then reconnected with the suprematist vocabulary and opened up to applied arts: jewelry, tapestry and even sculpture became all areas of expression to broaden the field of creation. Nadia Léger does not hesitate to multiply the supports and techniques, demonstrating constant curiosity and a desire for innovation.

This art and history exhibition, designed, produced and produced by Tempora, in collaboration with Aymar and Jean du Chatenet, ends with a film which retraces the life of Nadia Léger, and a sentence which makes you think: “ The important thing is not what we do, but what remains to be done. Nothing is finished. ».

Nadia Léger, a woman artist on the borders of Modern and Popular © Journal l’Humanité

WHY GO SEE THE EXHIBITION NADIA LÉGER AT THE MAILLOL MUSEUM?

• AN INCREDIBLE DIVERSITY OF WORKS: More than 150 works, created between 1919 and 1973, are brought together to highlight the richness of Nadia Léger’s artistic career. Paintings, portraits of great historical figures, abstract explorations and applied creations come together in a unique ensemble.

• A JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY: In addition to its purely artistic interest, the exhibition depicts an era crossed by major upheavals. From the Russian Revolution to the Occupation, via the Parisian cultural dynamics of the interwar period, “Nadia Leger. An avant-garde woman” at the Maillol Museum offers fascinating insight into the social and political issues of the 20th century.

Nadia Leger, Self-portrait1939. © DR

• THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDISCOVER A LITTLE-KNOWN ARTIST: Long relegated to the rank of “Fernand Léger’s wife”, Nadia Léger is finally finding the light she deserves. His committed paintings, his role in the Resistance and his international aura reveal an extraordinary personality, capable of combining pictorial poetry and deep convictions.

• A DIALOGUE WITH MODERN ART: The exhibition does not hesitate to compare the creations of Nadia Léger with those of Fernand Léger, Pablo Picasso or even Nicolas de Staël and Hans Hartung. An original dialogue, which allows us to better understand the importance of the female contribution in the history of modern art.

• A MUST-HAVE OUTING IN PARIS: The Maillol Museum regularly hosts internationally renowned exhibitions. After Elliot Erwitt or Andres Serrano, this new event is establishing itself as one of the cultural highlights of the capital. It’s also an excellent opportunity to book your ticket at the Maillol Museum to enjoy a carefully designed tour, in a friendly and emblematic place.

Fernand and Nadia pose in Roland Brice’s workshop in Biot, 1955. © DR Archives Diana Vashkevitch

In short, the exhibition “Nadia Leger. An avant-garde woman” offers a captivating immersion in the universe of an artist as talented as she is committed. Through a journey rich in discoveries and emotions, the retrospective recounts the rise of a creator who, from cubism to suprematism, stopped reinventing himself, his personal story, marked by resistance and the promotion of art in the service of society, reinforces the power of his paintings. For all lovers of art and history, this exhibition is therefore there. ‘dream opportunity to celebrate an unfairly overlooked figure and to question the impact of political engagement in artistic creation.

Book your ticket now at the Maillol Museum to delve into the life and work of Nadia Léger, from November 8, 2024 to March 23, 2025. This is an unmissable artistic and historical experience, which will not fail to fascinate visitors. visitors in search of the avant-garde, passion and discoveries. This is an event not to be missed for anyone who wishes to explore 20th century modernity through the eyes of a free and visionary woman.

Don’t forget to share your experience of the Nadia Léger exhibition at the Maillol Museum on social networks with the hashtags #expoNadiaLéger, #expositionNadiaLéger, #expoMuséeMaillol, #expositionMuséeMaillol, #MuséeMaillol, #NadiaLéger, #NadiaLégerMuséeMaillol

GET THERE:

Address : 59-61 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris

SCHEDULES :

• Wednesday to Monday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• closed Tuesday

PRICES:

• Full price: €16.50
• Group rate: €15.50
• Reduced rate (students, job seekers, disability card holders, Education Pass): €14.50
• Youth rate (6-25 years): €12.50
• Free for children under 6 years old