Lecture & Live Music: Artist or Muse?

Have you heard of Van Gogh? Picasso? Monet?

What about Berthe Morisot? Dora Mar? Françoise Gilot?

For decades, women as artists, patrons, and muses have been forgotten, sidelined, and erased in favor of their male counterparts. Come rediscover art history in a new light.

Art historian Marie-Pierre Rondeau will share the stories of six remarquable women who were pioneers in their field. Her lecture will be accompanied by live music from Isabelle Olivier, harpist and composer.

Guests will enjoy a reception after the program featuring a complimentary glass of French wine.

Doors at 6:00 p.m. Program at 6:30. Please enter via 54 W Chicago Ave. Non-alcoholic options will be available.

About Marie-Pierre Rondeau

Marie-Pierre Rondeau

Belgian-born Marie-Pierre was educated in Art History at the University of Louvain and later in Paris. She obtained her degree from the French Ministery of Culture and worked for 10 years as a lecturer at major French national art museums, as well as for tours organized by Road Scholar (formerly Elderhostel).

Marie-Pierre next pursued her art education in New York, where she lectured for private French groups at the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since arriving in Chicago in 2009, she has specialized in the city’s history, architecture, and art scene.

About Isabelle Olivier

Isabelle Olivier

Jazz harpist, composer, and artistic director Isabelle Olivier has composed and recorded 12 albums throughout her 32-year musical career, during which she’s worked on a variety of collaborative and interactive projects in 25 countries. She has also had the opportunity to share her musical expertise in the cinema and performing arts fields, composing the soundtracks of several plays as well as films by Agnès Varda and Abdellatif Kechiche.

After Olivier became the first composer to win the Villa Le Nôtre–Versailles Prize, the Art Institute of Chicago asked her to write and perform an artistic response to the exhibition Gauguin: Artist as Alchemist.
In 2024, she released her new album Impressions with a string quartet, piano, accordion, drums, harp, and electronics. Isabelle is CEO of jazz label and publishing company Rewound Echoes.