“Marcel Proust. On his mother’s side” : mahJ and Gérard Darel honor the legendary author
2022 is the year of Marcel Proust, which marks the centenary of the death of one of the greatest French writers. A perfect opportunity for cultural institutions to dedicate to the legendary author special events. Among the most interesting projects, the exhibition “Marcel Proust. On his mother’s side” in mahJ (or the Museum of Jewish Art and History), one of the most emblematic cultural adresses in Le Marais. The very first project in France to present Proust through the prism of his Judaism, this exhibition brings together nearly 230 paintings, drawings and engravings by Monet, Rodin, Bonnard and Vuillard, as well as proofs corrected by the author’s hand. Among this abundance, a very rare work, one of the two original manuscripts of Proust’s famous “Questionnaire”, which belongs to the Maison Darel. This historic document, a concentrate of charm, sensitivity and wit, represents one of the strongest symbols of the unconditional love between son and mother, and answers the simple question “What is for you the height of misery?” – “Being separated from my Mom.” That’s why, unsurprisingly, Gérard Darel entrusted this manuscript for the time of the exhibition to mahJ, in a desire for transmission and proximity shared with this notion of filiation. The Parisian label invited its friends to the opening of the exhibition on Thursday evening, followed by a dinner in the halls of the museum … An exhibition not to be missed in Paris until August 28.
Photos: Nicolas Brulez
