French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 – 1950 showcases 59 works including paintings, drawings, and sculptures, from the Brooklyn Museum’s esteemed collection of European art. The Harn’s presentation of French Moderns will also feature Claude Monet’s Waterloo Bridge, on loan from the Lowe Art Museum, and Champ d’avoine (Oat Field) from the Harn’s collection. The exhibition spans the era between the Revolution of 1848 and the conclusion of World War II—a period marked by significant social, intellectual, and political upheaval in France. This era saw the emergence of avant-garde artistic movements including Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism, which left a lasting impact on the Western artistic tradition. These key movements are represented in the exhibition through remarkable examples by the era’s leading artists, including 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.
French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850 – 1950 is organized by the Brooklyn Museum. The exhibition is organized by Lisa Small, Senior Curator of European Art, and Richard Aste, former Curator of European Art, Brooklyn Museum. The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue including thematic essays and interpretive object entries by the exhibition’s co-curators.
The local presenting sponsors for this exhibition are Rick and Aase Thompson; with additional support provided by Visit Gainesville, Alachua County; Laura L. Berns; Sheila K. Dickison; David Etherington and Jeffery Dunn; and other generous donors.