BIRMINGHAM, AL.- On January 30, 2026, the Birmingham Museum of Art (BMA) opens Monet to Matisse: French Moderns, 1850–1950, an exhibition of over 100 masterworks with more than half from the Brooklyn Museum’s esteemed European collection. The exhibition, presented by PNC Bank, highlights France's role as the epicenter of modernism during a time of profound social, intellectual, and political change.

Featuring a range of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, visitors will encounter the iconic art of Paul Cézanne, Mary Cassatt, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and many others. Drawing from its own distinguished collection, the Birmingham Museum of Art has nearly doubled the size of the exhibition, offering a broader and more comprehensive exploration of this transformative period in art history.

Monet to Matisse: French Moderns, 1850–1950 will be on view from January 30 to May 24, 2026, at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

“In 2026, the Birmingham Museum of Art celebrates its 75th anniversary. As we commemorate this milestone year, we are pleased to present one of the most significant exhibitions of French modern art to come to Birmingham. Monet to Matisse offers a rare opportunity to experience the revolutionary spirit of these artists up close,” said Graham C. Boettcher, R. Hugh Daniel Director of the Birmingham Museum of Art. “From the dreamlike brushstrokes of Monet to the bold colors of Matisse, this exhibition reflects the radical creativity that forever changed the course of art history.”

Among the exhibition’s masterpieces are Monet’s Le Matin, temps brumeux, Pourville (Foggy Morning at Pourville), Auguste Rodin’s Age of Bronze, and remarkable examples of Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism, and Surrealism. The exhibition also includes works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Gustave Courbet, and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, showcasing the breadth of artistic innovation in 19th- and early-20th-century France. Visitors will also encounter innovative yet lesser-known artists such as the Hungarian painter József Rippl-Rónai and the influential academic artist Jehan Georges Vibert. Among other masterpieces, the Brooklyn Museum’s Portrait of Mme Boursier and Her Daughter by Berthe Morisot is a true highlight of the exhibition.

“We are delighted to enhance this remarkable exhibition with fifty works from our own distinguished permanent collection,” said Boettcher. “These additions not only showcase the contributions of French artists but also highlight the influence of Japanese visionaries who shaped the modernist movement and the American artists who carried its legacy forward, offering a more expansive view of modernism’s global resonance.”

The exhibition is thoughtfully organized into four thematic sections—Landscape, Still Life, Portraits and Models, and The Nude—beginning with the landscapes of Corot and the birth of plein-air painting. It explores artistic innovation from the Realism of Courbet to the Surrealism of Yves Tanguy, providing an in-depth look at the evolution of modern art.