Conference
The Neo-Impressionists and the Mediterranean
Saturday, January 17th, 2026Conference presented by Laurent Genest
The Oscar Ghez collection includes a significant number of paintings by post- or neo-impressionist artists (over 130 works). Paul Signac holds a special place within this movement, both as a theorist of the pointillist technique — which he passionately promoted — and as a defender of Seurat’s legacy. He is also credited with the discovery of Saint-Tropez in 1892, while sailing the Mediterranean on his boat Olympia. At that time, it was still just a small fishing village. Before becoming the famous seaside resort it is today, Saint-Tropez welcomed many important artists at the end of the 19th century, such as Matisse and Maurice Denis, who stayed at Seurat’s villa. From then on, the Mediterranean became an inexhaustible source of subjects and inspiration for numerous painters: Henri-Edmond Cross, Henri Matisse, André Derain, Albert Marquet, Raoul Dufy, and Louis Valtat, as well as Braque and Picasso.
Speaker Presentation
Laurent Genest
After studying art history and archaeology at the École du Louvre and the University of Paris I – Sorbonne, where he also taught for several years, Laurent Genest continues research on our contemporary relationship with works of art in general, and with reproductions of artworks in particular.
He was one of the founding members at the Sorbonne University of the Observatoire critique des Ressources numériques en histoire de l’art et archéologie, now hosted on the CNRS website. He regularly organizes cultural trips in France and abroad. He is a member of ICOM (International Council of Museums) and has published contributions on the virtual museum in specialized journals.