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Hymenaios
Disguised as a Woman During an Offering to Priapus, a painting restored with
financial support from CNP Assurances and its subsidiary Caixa Seguros for the
Year of France in Brazil, was unveiled September 8th at the Sao Paulo Art
Museum.
Photo
Collection MASP (Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo Assis Chateaubriand) / Sao Paulo,
Brasil
Very little yellow, but sumptuous gold tones, blues and deep reds lend
their original splendour to the drapery of the togas. Hymenaios Disguised as a
Woman During an Offering to Priapus has been restored to reveal the original
colours used by Nicolas Poussin, a 17th-century master of the classical style
who painted the work housed today in the Sao Paulo Art Museum. Hymenaios had
been forgotten, but thanks to CNP Assurances and Caixa Seguros, it has regained
its rightful place in the spotlight. Indeed, it is the renaissance of this
masterwork, whose past has been complex and even tumultuous, that the company
and its subsidiary had decided to support within the context of their
sponsorship of the Year of France in Brazil.
“CNP Assurances and Caixa Seguros, through the insurance business,
contribute to creating ties between generations. Through patronage of the arts,
they help preserve French heritage, alongside partner countries like Brazil, and
reinforce the links that unite them within the broader goal of sustainable
development” emphasises Gilles Benoist, CEO of CNP Assurances and chair of the
sponsorship committee. After eight months of intensive work, the great French
artist’s painting was fully restored and unveiled on September 8th at the Sao
Paulo Art Museum (MASP) at a reception given for the exhibition entitled Poussin
Restauration. The inauguration, in the presence of Gilles Benoist, was one of
the official events organised to celebrate the Brazilian national holiday and
the Year of France in Brazil.
The guests – who included the press and many public figures – could admire
the painting in a special dedicated room, equipped with explanatory panels and
videos documenting the restoration process. “This is much more than a
restoration; it's a rebirth” declared Danilo Santos de Miranda, Chairman of the
Brazilian Commissariat for the Year of France in Brazil. Poussin Restauration is
one of the “most significant and important projects of the Year of France in
Brazil because it sows the seeds of permanence. It is a work that will remain in
Brazil, but that belongs to Humanity”.
The French General Commissioner for the Year of France in Brazil, Anne
Louyot, points to the varied background of the restoration team, made up of both
Brazilian and French experts, under the supervision of Regina da Costa Pinto
Moreira, a renowned Brazilian master restorer who lives in France and works for
the Louvre Museum.
“A new life"
The tumultuous history of the work reinforces its symbolic character.
Painted in Rome, between 1634 and 1636, the canvas never stopped moving despite
its impressive size (166 cm x 376). From the Villa Borghese in Rome to the
Palaccia de Buen Retiro (Royal collections of Phillip IV, Charles II) in Madrid,
passing briefly from one private collection to another in the UK and USA, it
finally ended up in Sao Paulo after its acquisition by the MASP in 1953.
These many travels, added to the ravages of time and difficulties of
conservation, certainly altered the painting, rendering it "yellowish, opaque
and practically illegible", reveals Gilles Benoist in his preface to the
catalogue of Poussin Restauration. The book, published for the occasion,
relates, through a myriad of details and photos, the origins of the painting,
its many travels, but above all the guiding principles and technical stages in
this artistic Franco-Brazilian adventure.
“A new life"
The restoration team took up the challenge of giving this damaged work
from the Italian “new renaissance” a second life. Thanks to advanced scientific
techniques, a layer of bright colours was revealed, rendering the painting's
original vibrancy and richness. The painting had never been restored before and
the canvas was completely removed and hung on a new frame.
In addition to revealing the true colours of Hymenaios’ toga, the experts
from both countries shared a new discovery during the course of their work.
Under the three coats of paint that had accumulated over time, the cleaning
process revealed a phallus on the statue of Priapus, symbol of fertility in
Greek mythology, which had been hidden under an “adjustment for modesty”. Regina
da Costa Pinto explains that this trick had often been used in the past and she
was not surprised since the painting once belonged to the Spanish Royal family
whose values were conservative. “The removal of the paint hiding this anatomical
detail shows how much interpretation of an image depends on its conservation and
therefore its restoration" underlined Pierre Curie, head conservator at the
C2RMF (Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées en France).
“It is undeniably a successful patronage project, one that the CNP and
Caixa Seguros can be proud of, notes Gilles Benoist. The restoration of this
painting by Poussin has played a decisive role in its reassessment as a work of
art".
Regina da Costa Pinto Moreira is a renowned Brazilian
master restorer who lives in France and works for the Louvre Museum.
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Privileged ties with Brazil
The
inauguration of the painting by Poussin took place the day after the
Brazilian national holiday on September 7th, a celebration to which
president Lula had invited his French counterpart, Nicolas Sarkozy, in the
context of the Year of France in Brazil. Before the official unveiling,
Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economic Affairs, Industry and Employment,
discovered the painting during a private visit to the
MASP.
Jean-Marc
Gravier, French consul in Sao Paulo, Yves Saint-Geours, Chairman of French
General Commissariat and Joao Vicente de Azevedo, President of the MASP,
were all present alongside Gilles Benoist, Jean-Louis Lepeigneux, in
charge of the operation Year of France in Brazil for the CNP and
coordinator of the sponsorship committee, Thierry Claudon, President of
Caixa Seguros and Grégoire Saint-Gal de Pons, Secretary General of the
Brazilian subsidiary.
At
the reception organised at the French Embassy, attended by President
Sarkozy and the ministerial delegation, Gilles Benoist represented CNP
Assurances. Among the guests were the French community of Brazil and a
delegation of entrepreneurs accompanying the French president during his
official visit. Economic and cultural ties between the two countries are,
evidently, very close as witnessed during the Year of Brazil in France
four years ago. The 350 French companies that employ nearly 400,000 people
today in Brazil are also a prime example.
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Sponsor of healthcare, patron
of the arts
While
CNP’s sponsorship programmes focus primarily on the healthcare sector
through the CNP Foundation, it occasionally supports the arts. Thus, the
CNP has already contributed, in 2006, to the return to France of a reliquary
shrine from Limoges depicting the Adoration
of the Magi, a major 13th-century work that is now on display at
National Museum of the Middle Ages in Paris.
This
type of initiative benefits from special tax exemptions under the Aillagon
law of August 1st 2003 concerning patronage that provides for a tax break
equivalent to 60% of donations, within a ceiling of 0.5 % of a company's
turnover.
Eighteen
French companies or groups, most listed in the CAC 40, are members of the
patronage committee of the Year of France in Brazil.
Thanks to their commitment, 51 projects were undertaken in 30 Brazilian
cities, including 14 regional capitals.
We
can cite as examples the DCNS (group specialised in naval defensive
systems) –for an exhibition of Gobelins tapestries at the Arts and
Workmanship Museum of Bela Horizonte –and PSA Peugeot-Citroën –for an
exhibition of sculptures by Houdon and the National Historical Museum of
Brazil – companies who, like the CNP, have contributed to promoting French
artistic
heritage. | |
