Felix Fénéon (1861-1944) and the “foreign arts”

Felix Fénéon (1861-1944) and the “foreign arts” .

Anarchist, art critic, editor, gallery director, art collector, Felix Fénéon (1861-1944), a remarkable character and talent spotter, is presented for the first time in a diptych exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay and the Musée de l’Orangerie, and the Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac. Fénéon defended a liberated view of creativity at a time when art experienced a shift towards modernity, and worked to bring Eastern art to the forefront. In his spirited plea “Seront-ils admis au Louvre?” (“Will they be exhibited at the Louvre?”), a fundamental text in the philosophy behind the Musée du Qual Branly - Jacques Chirac, he questions the status of ethnic art, seventy years prior to Jacques Kerchache’s manifesto. His commitment is paired with an extraordinary personal art collection, including works by his friends Seurat, Vuillard, Toulouse-Lautrec, Braque, Matisse and Modigliani, as well as one of the largest collections of works from Africa and Oceania.