Gustave Caillebotte (French, 1848–1894)
Paris Street; Rainy Day, 1877
Oil on canvas; 83 1/2 x 108 3/4 in. (212.2 x 276.2 cm)
The Art Institute of Chicago, Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is about to close one of its best Impressionism exhibition in years. That says a lot - as the Met owns some of the most outstanding examples of Impressionism on the planet, thanks to Louisine Havemeyer, whose buddy Impressionist Mary Cassatt gave her an insider's advantage.
However, Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity is something else entirely. Here the curators added display cases full of clothing and accessories from the era, as well as the fashion magazines oozing with au current fashion terminology. It's all toute Paris among the gauzy muslims and embroidered piqués. Most of the clothes are similar to the ones depicted in the paintings. One dress, in Albert Bartholomé's In the Conservatory (Madame Bartholomé), c. 1881, is on view.
Albert Bartholomé (French, 1848–1928)
In the Conservatory (Madame Bartholomé), ca. 1881
Oil on canvas; 91 3/4 x 56 1/8 in. (233 x 142.5 cm)
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of the Société des Amis du Musée d'Orsay, 1990
Summer Day Dress Worn by Madame Bartholomé in the Painting In the Conservatory
French, 1880
White cotton printed with purple dots and stripes
Musée d'Orsay, Paris, Gift of the Galerie Charles and André Bailly, 1991
Above all, the exhibition brings together some of the most beloved Impressionist works within a hop-skip-and-jump from each other: Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street: Rainy Day (1877); Claude Monet's Camille (1866) and Jean-Frédéric Bazille's Family Reunion (1867). These works from Paris, Boston, Chicago, Copenhagen, Bremen, and London join with the Met's collection, including a few Havemeyer donations.
If you are unable to catch the show before it closes on Monday, you might schedule a trip to the Art Institute of Chicago, the next venue on this grand tour (June 26 through September 22, 2013).
NB: The Met's Holiday Mondays will end on Memorial Day Weekend. As of July 1st, the Met will be open all 7 days of the week, from Monday through Sunday, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This new policy follows on the heels of the Museum of Modern Art's, which switched to 7-days of the week on May 1st. Way to go NYC museums. Very tourist friendly - and we like that!
The New York Arts Exchange will tour Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity on Wednesday, May 22, beginning at 1 pm in the Grand Hall. We will also tour the Punk show and view James Nares' video The Street (2011) Please confirm your reservation at nyarts.exchange@verizon.net
____________________________________________________________
Closing on Sunday (and never open on Monday), the New Museum's exhibition New York 1993: Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star may be this Winter's sleeper. (That's "may," not "is.") Typical of the New Museum's art fare, it's a bit edgy in a hipster way (if I understand what "hipster" means - anyone care to help me with that?) Catch New York 1993 before it's gone and save room for one of those gigantic pastries in the Birdbath Café.
A bientôt,
Beth New York
aka Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, Ph.D.
Director
New York Arts Exchange
No comments:
Post a Comment