2011 News

Memphis’ Dixon Gallery and Gardens is the first and only American museum to present the landmark retrospective of French Artist Jean-Louis Forain, who was a member of the Impressionist circle, protégé of Degas, and mentor to Toulouse-Lautrec.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 9, and Rhodes Professors Jeffrey H. Jackson and Shira Malkin will present Sunday lectures at the museum exploring ways the art of Forain was interwoven with late 19th century Paris and how it is linked today’s fashion, theatre, and art.

On Sunday, Aug. 21, at 2 p.m., Jackson will present “Exploring Turn-of-the-Century Paris.” The talk focuses on Paris in its heyday when Forain was a key figure and includes historical photographs and images of that era. Jackson is author of Making Jazz French: Music and Modern Life in Interwar Paris, and Paris Under Water: How the City of Light Survived the Great Flood of 1910. In addition, he leads courses on the history of Paris, including a seminar on Americans in Paris, and Paris: Myth and Reality.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. as part of the Dixon’s Forain After Dark, Malkin will introduce the film, “The French CanCan,” that inspired Hollywood’s remake of “Moulin Rouge.” Admission is free for members of the Rhodes community with a valid Rhodes I.D.

On Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2 p.m., Malkin will discuss Forain’s theoretical influences including theatre diva Sara Bernhardt and playwright Alfred Jarry. Malkin grew up in Paris and is a specialist of 19th century French theatre. During a 2009-2010 sabbatical, she worked in the Paris Archives and in the library of the Académie Française on theatre manuscripts of 19th-century novelist/ playwright George Sand. Malkin also has led several groups of French majors and minors on Maymester programs in Paris. For admission and ticket information, visit The Dixon site.

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