Brigitte Bardot, les années « insouciance »
Boulogne-Billancourt, from september 29, 2009 to january 31, 2010 - Tues to Sun, from 11 am to 6 pm

Whether in Saint Tropez or elsewhere, in Nice or Boulogne-Billancourt, France has always had a heart that beats love. And who was named Bardot. A new exhibition, the first to be dedicated solely to her, pays tribute to the Bardot legend. Throughout her career, scandals have always surrounded Brigitte, whose gentleness seems only to apply to animals. Indeed, Bardot has always been a woman of light and sulfur. The world sees Brigitte Bardot as unique and never complacent. For more than 50 years, a whirlwind has surrounded her from the day she appeared, radically and spectacularly turning the settings around her inside-out. At the end of the 50’s, in a country still coldly and comfortably ensconced in its corsets, popular actresses of the day were members of the highly respectable Comédie Française (the famous company founded by Molière in 1661) wearning silver fox fur and high heels. Brigitte broke down all of that. Like a hurricane, she appeared and was lying naked in “And God Created Woman”, on her side – not revealing anything – behind white linen put out to dry. This dazzling creature simply sunbathed. At that moment, Bardot became the actress of all actresses putting aside all the others. On screen as in real life, the eldest daughter of a Parisian bourgeoisie family felt completely at ease in her era, moving and breathing as it suited her. In a country of formal and stuffy folk, she on the contrary vibrantly showed her emotions and was radiant. More than anything else, in fact, she was the personification of her time. At an era when overt sexuality was still considered sinful, she was the one who dared. She dared to love one man after another. In her footsteps, a whole new generation, the followers of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe, learnt to go out on their own for an evening experiencing for themselves the confusion of amorous quests. Her influence was fundamental. Without exhibitionist intentions nor selfish motives, Brigitte showed us what desire can be and thereby rejected hypocrisy. All over the world, millions of people understood the message – surprised, but easily won over by her charm...