Sunday, April 8, 2012

The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Gard​e at the MET

The New Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris has a young American that is taken back to the 1920's to meet all the stars of the Jazz Age. He eyes where opened by all the artist and writers that where part of the Parisian Avant-Garde and even visits Gertrude Stein at her house. This is what might have happened to any who found themselves in the Art world in Paris at the beginning of the century. The Steins, Gertrude, Leo, and Michael Stein, and Michael's wife, Sarah opened their homes to anyone with a letter of reference. Most who could not go to see fine art in the shows and museums went to these rooms filled with painters works that are now household names. Matisse and Picasso were just two of the many struggling painters that this group of Americans had as friends. This family from San Francisco were able to show an amazing amount of works by these artist to the public. This exhibition now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has over 200 works from these walls that changed the way a whole generation looked at Modern Art. Just think what it was like to not only collect the work of artist like Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Édouard Manet, and Auguste Renoir, but to also have them as close friends of the family. What a interesting time to be in Paris with the soon to be who's who of the art world over for open house discussions every Saturday evening! So go to the MET and use this exhibition as on excuse to daydream about Paris and the artist of the Jazz age.


Through June 3, 2012

1 comment:

  1. Dear ,

    It is a wonderfull exhibition .

    And what a pleasure to see the portrait of Gertrude Stein by Riba-Rovira .Beside Tchelitchew and Balthus .

    And also the Preface Gertrude Stein wrote for his first exhibition in the Galerie Roquepine in Paris on 1945 .
    Where we can read Gertrude Stein writing Riba-Rovira "will go farther than Cezanne...will succeed in where Picasso failed...I am fascinated " by Riba-Rovira Gertrude Stein tells us .

    And you are you also fascinated indeed as Gertrude Stein ?

    But Gertrude Stein spoke also in this same document about Matisse and Juan Gris .And we learn Riba-Rovira went each week in Gertrude Stein's saloon rue Christine .
    With Edward Burns and Carl Van Vechten we can know Riba-Rovira did others portraits of Gertrude Stein .

    But we do not know where they are ;and you do you know perhaps ?

    With this wonderful portrait we do not forget it is the last time Gertrude Stein sat for an artist who is Riba-Rovira .

    This exhibition presents us a world success with this last painting portrait before she died .

    Both ,it is one of the last text where she gives her last art vision .As a light over that exhibition now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York .

    Coming from San Francisco "Seeing five stories" to Washington and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York for our pleasure .

    And the must is to see for the first time in the same place portraits by Picasso, Picabia, Riba-Rovira, Tall-Coat, Valloton .

    You have the translate of Gertrude Stein's Riba-Rovira Preface on english Gertrude Stein's page on Wikipedia and in the catalog of this exhibition you can see in first place the mention of this portrait .And also other pictures Gertrude Stein bought him .

    And you have another place where you can see now Riba-Rovira's works it is an exhibition in Valencia in Spain "Homenage a Gertrude Stein" by Riba-Rovira in Galleria Muro ,if you like art ...

    Cesera

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