Vero Beach Museum of Art to Host the Only Southeast/Central Florida Stop for French Moderns: Monet to Matisse Exhibition

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.
 
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. 

French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850–1950 is generously supported by:
DIRECTOR’S SPONSOR: The Bill and Laura Buck Estate
PRESENTING SPONSORS: Theodore W. Brickman Jr. and Sally B. Brickman Endowment for Exhibitions of 18th and 19th Century Art; The Laura T. Buck Exhibition Endowment; Joan DeCrane; Dorinda Dodge; Bob Frick, The Yela "Peter" and Derek Fowler Endowment for Acquisitions and Exhibitions; Patricia M. Patten Endowment; Estate of Glee and Robert Ries Endowment; Emily and Ned Sherwood; Charlotte Stifel; and Roberta and James W. Titelman Endowment for Exhibitions.
SEASON SPONSOR: John’s Island Real Estate
SUPPORTING SPONSORS: Molly Butler Hart and Michael D. Griffin; Donald H. Layton and Sandra L. Lazo; Mason Investment Advisory Services; PNC Private Bank; Bill and Peg Regan & Bristol-Myers Squibb Matching Gift Foundation; Charlotte and Henry G. Stifel Endowment for Exhibitions; Harvey and Mary Stuthers; and Bill and Carolyn Stutt
PATRON SPONSORS: Broadbent Family Endowment; Erin Mansfield and Phil Newcomb; Sandy and Randy Rolf Endowment for Exhibitions; and Dick and Jamie Schulte
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT: Schumann Foundation Endowment for Exhibitions
ART TALK MEDIA SPONSOR: LocaliQ | TCPalm

Photo: 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)