Cézanne and American Modernism

February 14–May 23, 2010

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Paul Cézanne. Fruit and Jug on a Table

“CÉZANNE WAS...THE FATHER AND LIBERATOR, THE BACH OF ART, TO BE EMULATED AND WORSHIPPED.” – Max Weber

Marsden Hartley. Mont Sainte-Victoire. 1927. Private Collection of Elaine and Henry Kaufman

Marsden Hartley, a leading figure in the American modernist movement, looked to Cézanne as his primary source of inspiration, even moving to the same property where Cézanne had lived in Aix-en-Provence, with a superb view of Cézanne’s beloved Mont Sainte-Victoire. While this painting can be seen as an homage to Cézanne, Hartley’s more condensed, highly contrasted image, with rougher, more vibrantly colored brushstrokes, reflects modern art developments, such as the work of Matisse or Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

About the
Exhibition

Paintings that Sparked a Revolution

Discover how Cézanne influenced a new generation of American artists.

In this dazzling exhibition at the BMA, see how Cézanne transformed American art in the first part of the 20th century. For the first time, 16 of the great French master’s paintings and watercolors are featured alongside works by more than 30 American artists including Marsden Hartley, Maurice Prendergast, Alfred Stieglitz, and Man Ray. Experience Cézanne’s profound influence on American Modernism through paintings that sparked a worldwide revolution in art.

Along with the BMA’s two great Cézanne paintings, Mont Sainte-Victoire Seen from the Bibémus Quarry and Bathers, Cézanne and American Modernism showcases more than 80 outstanding works from public and private collections throughout the U.S., including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It is a special ticketed exhibition that includes complimentary audio tours for both adults and kids. A dynamic menu of events and a handsomely illustrated catalogue offer deeper insights into Cézanne’s influence on American art in the early 20th century.

This nationally traveling exhibition is organized by the Montclair Art Museum and The Baltimore Museum of Art, and curated in Baltimore by Katy Rothkopf, BMA Senior Curator of European Painting & Sculpture.