Exhibitions, meetings, debates...from March 22 to 26, Laurence Cohen is organizing a series of events in Paris to (re)discover “the sublime” Sarah Bernhardt. A discovery that will continue Belle-Ile-en-Mer.

“Sarah in all her states”: from March 22 to 26, 2023 in Paris

"During the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening, academician Laurent Pernot will retrace the trial that the Comédie Française led against Sarah when she slammed the door because she wanted to take a hot air balloon ride - something her membership contract forbade her from doing. She deflected and resigned, loudly proclaiming: "I do what I want!" This opening night is being held at the Théâtre de la Ville Espace Cardin, which was directed, let us recall, for years by Sarah Bernhardt (which should reopen next September, after seven years of closure for renovations, under the actress's name, Editor's note). We will also welcome Muriel Mayette-Holtz from the Académie des Beaux-Arts for a reading of some excerpts from Sarah's writings. During the same evening, Anne Delbé, who wrote a magnificent book on the last years of her life ("Sarah's smile"), will evoke these very moving moments. It will also discuss the multifaceted Sarah. This character is reflected in a series of conferences at the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum. Édith de Belleville, author and lawyer, will tell us how Sarah Bernhardt became her life coach. In a conference entitled "La Divine sur le Divan" psychoanalyst Emma Scali will discuss Sarah's psyche by inviting us to go behind the mirror. Art historian Véronique Proust will talk about Sarah and men. I wanted us to hear this body that did not serve her but that she knew how to beautify. Writer and historian Jean-Pierre Guéno will talk about inner disagreements. He has reconstructed a diary of her rebellions and passions. Benoit Giraud, a graduate of the École du Louvre, will give a conference on Sarah Bernhardt's homes and how she staged her life, both inside and out. Finally, historian Ronan Naudin has created a story about Sarah Bernhardt in Belle-Ile-en-Mer based on the chronicles of the time. Finally, at the Saint-François de Salle Church, in the seventeenth arrondissement, where her funeral took place, a concert will be given by a quartet led by Michelle Tellier, soloist of the Arts Florissants. Added to this program are guided tours, walks, period literary dinners at the Sarah Bernhardt brasserie, Place du Châtelet... Each event is an invitation to delve back into history. Our goal is to reach all audiences, and the greatest number, almost all events are free.», Laurence Cohen. 

Exhibitions on the occasion of the centenary

• Au Petit Palais "And the woman created the star"
  Thanks to nearly 400 works, the exhibition looks back on the life and career of the actress through her wardrobe and her objects, but also her activities as a painter, writer and sculptor.From April 14 to August 27 .
• Au Jean Jacques Henner Museum
  Through archives linked to the actress and loaned portrait photos, a place of honor in the form of a mini hanging. In this Plaine Monceau, which she helped to make "the most artistic of artists' quarters", Sarah Bernhardt was a neighbor of Guillaume Dubufe, whose private mansion would later become the Henner Museum. From March 22 to June 26.

More on the program in Paris then Belle-Ile-en-Mer: www.2023sarahdanstoussetats.fr

Find the interview with Laurence Cohen