Celebrating Année des Outre-mer with Aimé Césaire, Wilfredo Lam and Pablo Picasso

Still missing France, I began searching for the best beaches to practice my Français.

While researching which islands in the Caribbean have a French speaking population, I brushed up on the French history I learned years ago in Serge Gavronksy‘s French culture courses.

Aimé Cesaré (1913-2008), renowned poet, politician and one of the founding fathers of the Négritude movement played a pivotol role in the formation of the policy of départementalisation, which integrated Martinique into metropolitan France as one of a number of newly founded DOM (Départements d’outre-mer) / TOM (Territoires d’outre-mer). Although giving citizens DOM/TOM status French citizenship was an effort to aid the end of colonialism, it was a controversial measure argued to have been a detriment to Martinique.

In honor of Césaire, the 2011 Année des Outre-mer celebrates the 70th anniversary of the seminal meeting between him and painter Wifredo Lam (1902-1982), who as “artists and brothers,” shared a simliar style of exploration and affirmation of Afro-Caribbean culture.

Alongside the canvases, etchings and drawings by Lam, the exhibition features engravings and a painting by Picasso, a painting and drawings by André Masson (musée Cantini, Marseille), and works by Jean Pons, Henri Guédon and Daniel Buren inspired by Césaire’s poems and writing.

JetShopper Tip:

If you stay at the trendy and centrally located Apostrophe Hotel, the concierge will arrange ticket delivery for you without waiting in line at the Grand Palais!

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