Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation: Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Early Modern

May 2-August 15, 1993

Overview: This exhibition of 80 French paintings from the collection of the Barnes Foundation, Merion, Pennsylvania, included important paintings by Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse, and others, collected by Dr. Alfred C. Barnes (1872-1951). The exhibition traveled while the building was undergoing renovation. The loan exhibition, the first from the Barnes Foundation, was made possible by a court ruling. The foundation received permission to stage an international exhibition to pay for improvements to the gallery housing the collection.

A 10-minute video program that accompanied the exhibition was produced with the support of The Circle of the National Gallery of Art and the International Corporate Circle. An audio tour was available, narrated by Gallery Director Earl A. Powell III. A special Sunday program entitled Dr. Barnes and His Collection was held in the East Building auditorium on May 23. Weekend hours throughout the exhibition were extended to 7 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Advance passes for the exhibition were available at the National Gallery or from Ticketron. Same-day passes were available at the Gallery.

The exhibition was co-organized by the National Gallery of Art and the Barnes Foundation. The National Gallery also advised the Barnes Foundation on arrangements for the tour. The coordinator was Elizabeth Streicher, associate research curator at the Gallery. The exhibition was supported by a grant from GTE Corporation and by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Attendance: 520,924 (106 days)

Location: East Building, Upper Level and Mezzanine, Northeast and Upper Level, North Bridge

Catalogue: Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation: Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Early Modern, by Richard J. Wattenmaker et al. New York: Alfred A. Knopf in association with Lincoln University Press, 1993.

Brochure: Great French Paintings from the Barnes Foundation: Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Early Modern. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1993.

Other venues:

Musée d'Orsay, Paris

November 6, 1993-January 2, 1994

National Museum of Western Art, Toky

January 21-April 3, 1994

Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Wort

April 24-August 16, 1994

Art Gallery of Ontari

September 17-December 31, 1994

Philadelphia Museum of Ar

January 29-April 9, 1995

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