The Linden Trees is an intimate exhibition of 34 small oil paintings (each 20 x 14 inches), each paired with a short narrative text. Together, they tell a new fairy tale about two young women, Natasha and Polina, inspired by characters from Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Pushkin’s Roslavlev.
In this reimagined story, Natasha is not reduced to a domestic figure, as Tolstoy portrayed her in the epilogue of War and Peace, and Polina’s tale (left unfinished by Pushkin) is given voice and direction. The two women are brought together across literary boundaries to pursue their artistic callings: one as a singer, the other as a poet.
Told from the perspective of Prince Andrei, The Linden Trees is a poetic exploration of female artistic agency and the transformative power of love grounded in creative freedom. The story is woven with feminist historical figures and references, with Decembrism serving as a metaphor for liberation. The aesthetic evokes a children’s book, at once whimsical and profound.
The title refers to an excerpt in War and Peace when a young Prince Andrei plants linden trees on his future estate, symbols of growth, memory, and emotional awakening.
October 15 - November 6, 2025
15 Bd Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France
Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 12:30 pm; 1:15-7:30 pm
Saturday: Open 24h
Sunday: CLOSED
