ATLANTA, GEORGIA.- For the first time in nearly 20 years, the treasures of France’s second largest museum are leaving Paris and heading to the United States for their continental debut at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. The High will feature over 100 works from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, renowned for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection. Paris in the Age of Impressionism: Masterworks from the Musée d’Orsay will open to the public on November 23, 2002 and will be on view through March 16, 2003. In conjunction with the exhibition, Atlanta will embark on a citywide initiative to celebrate French life and culture this fall with special events and activities at local restaurants, hotels, and other cultural organizations.
The High has established a tradition of collaborating with museums of global stature, among them the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Munch-Museet in Oslo, and next spring, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow. Michael E. Shapiro, the High’s Nancy and Holcombe T. Green, Jr. Director, remarks: “This exhibition allows us to once again partner with one of the finest art museums in the world, bringing to the region some of the best art that France has to offer,” and adds, “We are honored that the Musée d’Orsay has chosen to share their treasures with the High, as we now look forward to sharing them with our public.”
Paris in the Age of Impressionism: Masterworks from the Musée d’Orsay is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta in collaboration with the Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Presenting sponsor of the exhibition in Atlanta is SunTrust. Additional support is provided by the Rich Foundation. After debuting at the High, the exhibition will travel to its only other American venue, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, from April 6 through June 29, 2003.
Paris in the Age of Impressionism will offer visitors a broad context in which to gain a deeper understanding of turn-of-the-century Paris. The exhibition and accompanying catalogue are arranged in seven themes: Art Nouveau, the Dark Side, the Eiffel Tower, Grand Theaters, High Society, New Directions, and Views of the City. Along these thematic guidelines, the exhibition presents various approaches to the portrayal of Paris at the point where history, art, society, science, fashion, architecture, and politics merged. Each theme – explored through paintings, sculpture, photography, works on paper, and decorative art objects – will offer a different perspective into the era that shaped the modern world.
David A. Brenneman, the High’s Chief Curator and Frances B. Bunzl Family Curator of European Art, explains the scope of the exhibition: “The outstanding selection of works included in this exhibition reach beyond the boundaries of traditional Impressionist shows; our visitors have the opportunity to examine objects of exceptional quality that exist as the precursors to twentieth century Western art; that is, what was the beginning of Modernism.”
In addition to works by Impressionist masters such as Monet, Degas, Caillebotte, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Manet, works by “avant-garde” artists such as Cézanne, van Gogh, and Rousseau exemplify the radical shift in style that was preeminent at the turn of the century.
