French Artist Communities Talk 2: The Pont Aven Painters

Date: Sat, 13 December 2025 · 11:00 - 12:00
Cost: ÂŁ8
Venue: Ashmolean Museum
Address: Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PH, United Kingdom
Event page: https://www.ashmolean.org/event/french-artist-communities-talk-2-pont-aven-painters

French Artist Communities Talk 2: The Pont Aven Painters 🎨

Travel to Pont Aven, a small town in Brittany that became a magnet for artists in the late 19th century. Juliet Heslewood reveals how painters such as Paul Gauguin and Émile Bernard developed the Synthetist style — characterised by bold colour, simplified forms, and symbolic content.

What to expect:

  • 🎨 Insights into the Pont Aven colony’s artistic breakthroughs
  • 🌊 Stories of Brittany’s landscapes and cultural life
  • 🖥️ A hybrid format — attend in person or via Zoom

Part of the Ashmolean’s Connect & Collaborate season.


This event is part of a four-talk series:

  • Talk 1 – The Barbizon School – Sat 15/11/2025
  • Talk 2 – The Pont Aven Painters – Sat 13/12/2025
  • Talk 3 – Van Gogh & Gauguin – Sat 24/01/2026
  • Talk 4 – The Fauves – Sat 21/02/2026