Renoir in the 20th Century

February 14, 2010–May 9, 2010

Renoir in the 20th Century focuses on the last three decades of the artist’s career, when he had abandoned impressionism for a highly personal interpretation of the Great Tradition. This period, which also saw Renoir’s rise to unprecedented critical and commercial success, is the least understood. It is under-researched and generally eclipsed by his impressionist years. And yet, the 1890s mark the spectacular beginning of new and fruitful explorations which would solidify Renoir’s position as one of the masters of modern painting. Throughout the course of the exhibition, parallels between Renoir’s paintings and works by Picasso, Matisse, Maillol, and Bonnard will demonstrate powerfully the sway of Renoir’s art during the first half of the twentieth century. Bringing together approximately 120 paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Renoir and nearly ten relevant modernist works, the exhibition offers an unprecedented look at Renoir through the lens of modernism, bridging the divide generally seen between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Curators: Claudia Einecke and J. Patrice Marandel, European Art, LACMA, and Sylvie Patry, Musée d’Orsay

Credit: This exhibition was organized by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux, the Musée d’Orsay and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Los Angeles presentation is made possibly by the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation.