CLEVELAND.- The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) announced the opening of Van Gogh to Picasso: Impressionist and Modern Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art through March 28, 2007, at the Hangaram Art Museum in the Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea.

One of six CMA traveling exhibition series, Impressionist and Modern Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art, opened in Beijing, China, in May 2006, before traveling to Tokyo, Japan, in September 2006. The exhibition comprises some of the finest modern European masterpieces ever to be seen in South Korea.

“As our $258 million renovation and expansion project progresses, CMA is continuing to share its collection with audiences around the world,” said CMA Director Timothy Rub. “Our permanent collection traveling exhibitions series represent a milestone in CMA history. We are proud to partner with the Seoul Arts Center at this exciting time.”

According to U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Alexander Vershbow, “This exhibition is an excellent example of the increasing cooperation and linkages between the peoples of our two countries. It will enhance mutual understanding by increasing knowledge of Western culture in Korea and encouraging Americans to consider Korea as a welcome site for future business and tourism.”

Van Gogh to Picasso comprises 94 of CMA’s most highly acclaimed 19th- and 20th-century masterpieces, including sculpture, paintings and works on paper. The exhibition is divided into the following groupings: The Impressionist Epoch; Post-Impressionism; Early Modernist Sculpture; and The Age of the Avant-Gardes.

Highlights include: Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s (French, 1841–1919) Romaine Lacaux (1864); Claude Monet’s (French, 1840–1926) The Red Kerchief: Portrait of Mme. Monet (1868–70); Berthe Morisot’s (French, 1841–1895) Reading (1873); Auguste Rodin’s (French, 1840–1917) Heroic Head of Pierre de Wiessant, One of the Burghers of Calais (1886); Vincent van Gogh’s (Dutch, 1853–1890) Poplars at Saint-Rémy (1889); Paul Gauguin’s (French,1848–1903) In the Waves (1889); Paul Cézanne’s (French, 1839–1906) Brook (c. 1895–1900); Pablo Picasso’s (Spanish, 1881–1973) Bottle, Glass, and Fork (1911–12); Amedeo Modigliani’s (Italian, 1884–1920) Portrait of a Woman (c. 1917–18); Henri Matisse’s (French, 1869–1954) Festival of Flowers, Nice (1923); Edgar Degas’ (French, 1834-1917) In the Salon; and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s (French, 1864-1901) May Milton.

In order to maximize the opportunity for Koreans to view these exceptional works, Van Gogh to Picasso will move to the Seoul Olympic Museum of Art from April 7, through May 20, 2007 after closing at the Hangaram Art Museum in the Seoul Arts Center. The exhibition will then make its Canadian debut at the Vancouver Art Gallery, British Columbia, in June 2007, and its U.S. debut at The Cleveland Museum of Art in October 2007, before traveling to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, in February 2008, and the Kimbell Art Museum, Forth Worth, in June 2008. The permanent collection exhibition will then return for reinstallation at The Cleveland Museum of Art in early 2009.

The Ohio Arts Council helps support the museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Beijing exhibition is made possible in part by TIMKEN “Where You Turn,” a CMA Global Partner. This exhibition has been organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul Arts Center)

Focusing on contemporary art, the museum gives the public a chance to see various fine arts pieces with its six exhibition rooms and storage and art shops. The three-story Hangaram Art Museum building is designed as art center that harmonizes well with the atmosphere of the Seoul Arts Center. It allows the visitor to appreciate the art pieces amid a bright and exhilarating environment thanks to its advanced ceiling lighting system that uncannily simulates natural light.