arts & entertainment

A major exhibition is now appearing at the Vero Beach Museum of Art – French Moderns, Monet to Matisse. It features more than 50 works of art created between 1850 and 1950, from renowned Master of Modern Art including familiar names – Monet, Matisse, Chagall, Cézanne, Degas, Renoir – and many names you will not soon forget once you experience their works.

The exhibition was organized by Lisa Small, Senior Curator of European Art for New York’s Brooklyn Museum. According to Small, “The Museum has been collecting French art since 1920, a bold decision for a US museum at that time. This exhibition has travelled internationally since 2017 and Vero Beach is the only stop in Southeast Florida.”

The 100-year period between 1850 and 1950 was unique in the works coming out of Paris during that time. “It represents the stylistic transformation from traditional, academic style to disruption with the rise of Impressionism, Realism, Cubism, Surrealism – all the ‘-isms.’”

This transformation occurred in Paris at a time of social, intellectual and political change between the French Revolution and post-World War II and stimulated the creativity of artists living in Paris during that time. This exhibition includes French, Hungarian, Russian and Italian artists, all of whom lived in Paris when they expressed their unique visions.

Vero Beach Museum of Art’s Chief Curator, Caitlin Swindell, explains, “The works are in four thematic groupings, Landscape, Still Life, Portraits and Figures. Our docents offer a free guided tour at 2 p.m. daily.”

This internationally touring exhibition is on view through June 22. Entry to French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850–1950, is free with VBMA admission. Additionally, VBMA offers a full slate of exhibition-inspired programs such as lectures, dance and musical performances, film screenings, craft cocktail evenings, and Art Talks. Visit vbmuseum.org for dates, times, and ticketing information. The Vero Beach Museum of Art is open seven days a week. It is located at 3001 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, Florida, 32963. (772) 231-0707.