Masterpieces and Master Collectors

More about the book

Released at the inaugural exhibition at the Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, this collection showcases masterpieces that highlight the strengths of two renowned art collections, featuring key works from Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and early Modernism. Notable artists include Cézanne, Chagall, Kandinsky, Matisse, Monet, Picasso, Renoir, and van Gogh. The exhibition traces Modernism's roots in late nineteenth-century France, beginning with Claude Monet's Lady in the Garden (1867), a significant example of Impressionistic plein-air painting. Urban leisure scenes by Camille Pissarro and portraits by Pierre Auguste Renoir illustrate the diverse subjects explored by the French avant-garde. Post-Impressionism and early Modernism are represented through bold works characterized by daring flatness and vibrant color, including Paul Gauguin's Tahitian paintings and Cézanne's landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. The evolution of Modernism is reflected in the early twentieth-century School of Paris, showcasing colorists like Henri Matisse and Pierre Bonnard, alongside Pablo Picasso's pre-Cubist and Cubist pieces, as well as works by contemporaries Fernand Léger, Robert Delaunay, and Frantisek Kupka. Additional artists featured include Marc Chagall, André Derain, Franz Marc, Amedeo Modigliani, Henri Rousseau, Louis Valtat, Kees Van Dongen, and Vincent van Gogh, culminating with Vasily Kandinsky's abstraction, including his notable Par