Matisse and Picasso may be credited by many as the "inventors" of modern art, but at the beginning of the 20th century they were criticized more often than praised. People were not used to this "new" form of art.. abstract, figurative and transcendental. During this time, an upper-middle class Jewish American family bought up these painters earliest works, displaying them in their spacious Paris apartment. The family was well known in Paris and therefore they had a lot of influential people visit and observe these works of art in their home at 27 rue de Fleurus. They became very close friends with painters like Matisse and Picasso. One can even argue that this family discovered them.
Who was this family? Well let me tell you a bit about them. The family is composed of one sister and two brothers... Gertrude, Leo and Michael. Michael's wife, Sarah, was also highly involved in being a patron of modern art in Paris. During the first few decades of the twentieth century, the Steins collected hundreds of works of art that include work from Cezanne, Degas, Gaugin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Renoir, Picasso and Matisse.
This exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is on display until June 3rd, 2012. It exhibits over 200 works of art that had been collected by the family. It demonstrates the close relationships that this family had with the artists and their friends. It shows the significant impact the Stein's had on the artists that today we deem as iconic. It shows the family's passion for the Parisian arts scene.
The Steins famously introduced Matisse to Picasso and made the Parisian avant-garde movement available to many people. This exhibit is the story of this American family residing in Paris who became a pivotal part of the creation of art for years to come.
I was pleasantly surprised with this exhibition, and HIGHLY recommend you go and check it out if you are in Manhattan. On a budget? No worries, at The Metropolitan Museum of art the price is only suggested... you can pay whatever you can.
Fun fact: The exhibition includes a sketch of Leo drawn by Picasso himself. It also exhibits portraits of Sarah painted by Matisse.
The Met is located at 1000 5th Ave. Check out some of my favorite pieces below.. enjoy!
Henri Matisse
Boy with Butterfly Net, 1907
image taken from here
Pablo Picasso
Getrude Sten, 1905-1906
image taken from here
Pablo Picasso
Boy Leading a Horse, 1905-06
image taken from here
Stein Apartment
Dear ,
ReplyDeleteIt is a wonderfull exhibition .
And what a pleasure to see the portrait of Gertrude Stein by Riba-Rovira .Beside Tchelitchew and Balthus .
And also the Preface Gertrude Stein wrote for his first exhibition in the Galerie Roquepine in Paris on 1945 .
Where we can read Gertrude Stein writing Riba-Rovira "will go farther than Cezanne...will succeed in where Picasso failed...I am fascinated " by Riba-Rovira Gertrude Stein tells us .
And you are you also fascinated indeed as Gertrude Stein ?
But Gertrude Stein spoke also in this same document about Matisse and Juan Gris .And we learn Riba-Rovira went each week in Gertrude Stein's saloon rue Christine .
With Edward Burns and Carl Van Vechten we can know Riba-Rovira did others portraits of Gertrude Stein .
But we do not know where they are ;and you do you know perhaps ?
With this wonderful portrait we do not forget it is the last time Gertrude Stein sat for an artist who is Riba-Rovira .
This exhibition presents us a world success with this last painting portrait before she died .
Both ,it is one of the last text where she gives her last art vision .As a light over that exhibition now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York .
Coming from San Francisco "Seeing five stories" to Washington and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York for our pleasure .
And the must is to see for the first time in the same place portraits by Picasso, Picabia, Tall-Coat, Riba-Rovira, Valloton .
You have the translate of Gertrude Stein's Riba-Rovira Preface on english Gertrude Stein's page on Wikipedia and in the catalog of this exhibition you can see in first place the mention of this portrait .And also other pictures Gertrude Stein bought him .
And you have another place where you can see now Riba-Rovira's works it is an exhibition in Valencia in Spain "Homenage a Gertrude Stein" by Riba-Rovira in Galleria Muro ,if you like art ...
Cesera