The glamour and dazzle of Parisian women during the Belle Epoque are spotlighted in an important new show devoted to Italian artist Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931).
'Boldini Mon Amour', opening in the Tuscan town of Montecatini Terme on September 18, showcases nearly 200 works exploring the life and works of the Ferrara-born artist.
''This exhibit is entirely different from previous ones,'' explained the event's curator Tiziano Panconi.
''Only 30 of the 110 paintings on show come from museums. I personally selected less well-known pieces from private collections in a bid to avoid crossovers with exhibits in Padua and Rome three years ago''.
Among the private loans are 18 paintings that have never been exhibited publicly before. These include a sensual 'Bust of Semi-Nude Woman', 'Elegant Woman, Sitting' and three stunning portraits of the Comtesse Gabrielle de Rasty, who was Boldini's lover for several years.
In addition, the exhibition features an array of his best-loved paintings, including a spectacular piece set against a Spanish backdrop.
''It shows a beautiful woman standing in front of a poster for a bullfight,'' explained Panconi. ''The woman is Berthe, Boldini's first Parisian model and lover, who played a major role in shaping his vision of women in art''.
Although Boldini painted landscapes, interiors and Parisian cityscapes throughout his life, his reputation was chiefly built on his famous - and sometimes scandalous - portraits of beautiful women.
Fascinated by the female universe, Boldini used his art to create idealized, flashy and glamorous visions of women, while still managing to convey a sense of the subject's personality.
The paintings on display include some magnificent portraits of high society women such as the Comtesse de Rasty, Madame Ferguson and Madame Lantheme.
Around 60 photographs are also on show, looking at various aspects of Boldini's life, including his controversial marriage to the young journalist Emilia Cardona, 57 years his junior, at the age of 88.
Cardona, who Boldini affectionately referred to as Milly, is also the subject of a string of pencil sketches.
Boldini was hugely popular in turn-of-the-century Paris, capturing the lifestyle and faces of the era's fashionable celebrities in numerous portraits and cityscapes.
Although born in Italy, he spent most of his adult life in the French capital, where he settled at the age of 30.
He started out with small-scale works, concentrating on scenes of city life and elegantly dressed women but quickly rose to prominence in Parisian art circles.
He began to paint society portraits and developed a reputation for his elegant depictions of fashionable society women.
His style was based on bold, fluid brushstrokes that imbued his work with energy and drew the praise of fellow artists, while his subjects attracted the attention of Parisian high society.
As his popularity spread, Boldini found his services in request across Europe and as far as America, where his attention to detail and brilliant use of colour won him great success.
In addition to the work by Boldini, the exhibit features around 20 canvases by his contemporaries, including Giuseppe de Nittis, Federico Zandomeneghi, Francis Picabia and Telemaco Signorini.
Boldini Mon Amour runs in the Terme Tamerici exhibition centre in Montecatini Terme from September 18 until December 30.
