Explore one of the most pivotal and dynamic periods in art history when the internationally touring French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850–1950 exhibition makes its first and only South/Central Florida stop at the Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA), February 1 through June 22. The exhibition is organized by Lisa Small, Senior Curator of European Art, and Richard Aste, former Curator of European Art, Brooklyn Museum.
Berthe Morisot (French, 1841–1895). Madame Boursier and Her Daughter, circa 1873. Oil on canvas, 29 5/16
x 22 3/8 in. (74.5 x 56.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund, 29.30. (Photo: Sarah DeSantis,
Brooklyn Museum)
Featuring 59 paintings and sculptures from the Brooklyn Museum’s esteemed collection of European art, French Moderns showcases some of the most renowned names in Modern Art—Pierre Bonnard, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Gabriele Münter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin, and others—and how they experimented with bold, expressive styles such as Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism. It also highlights artists like Lajos Tihanyi, Aleksandr Yakovlev, and Giovanni Boldini, who settled in Paris and made significant contributions to the art scene, each hailing from Hungary, Russia, and Italy, respectively.
“What I find most inspiring about this exhibition is how the selected artworks demonstrate such breadth in major art movements,” says VBMA Chief Curator Caitlin Swindell. “With a vast range in styles, French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950 illustrates how artists often push boundaries with their work.”
The exhibition offers outstanding works of art for various interests in style and subject matter across four thematic groupings: Landscape, Still Life, Portraits and Figures, and The Body. For instance, in the Landscape section, visitors will find Alfred Sisley’s 1876 painting, an Impressionist work with its wispy skies and partially submerged trees rendered through seemingly quick and visible brushstrokes. This work contrasts with another landscape in the section, Yves Tanguy’s 1946 painting, Dress of the Morning—a surreal outdoor scene depicting a barren field with amorphous shapes in the foreground, perhaps figures or otherworldly creatures.
Entry to French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850–1950, is free with VBMA admission. Museum docents offer a free guided tour at 2 p.m. daily.
Additionally, VBMA offers a full slate of exhibition-inspired programs such as lectures, dance and musical performances, film screenings, craft cocktail evenings, and Art Talks. Visit vbmuseum.org for dates, times, and ticketing information.
The Vero Beach Museum of Art is open seven days a week. It is located at 3001 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, Florida, 32963. Directions: From I-95 (Exit 147), from U.S.1, and Indian River Boulevard, take State Road 60 east over the Merrill Barber Bridge to the beachside, and turn right at the first traffic light into Riverside Park. Parking is free.
Lead Image: Claude Monet (French, 1840–1926). Rising Tide at Pourville, 1882. Oil on canvas, 26 x 32 in. (66 x 81.3cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Horace O. Havemeyer, 41.1260. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
