The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde is a fantastic exhibition open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through Sunday, June 3rd. Following the lives of the three siblings: Leo, Gertrude, and Michael (with his wife Sarah), the exhibit focuses on their patronage of modern art and their relationships with modern artists in Paris in the early 20th century. It unites over 200 works and demonstrates the controversial influence of the Stein family on the arts community. Our favorite part of the exhibition was the description of the sibling relationships and their interaction with the artists of Paris. It is fascinating to look at early 20th century Paris through the lens of art, artists, and their patrons. Leo moved to Paris in 1903 and became intrigued with the work of Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Unable to afford the work of those artists, he began to explore modern artists and befriended Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. For many years, Gertrude and Leo shared a tiny apartment with walls entirely covered by their collection of art; a scale representation is included in the exhibit. While the show focuses a great deal on the Steins’ relationships with Matisse and Picasso, there is work by many other artists included such as Pierre Bonnard, Juan Gris, Eli Nadelman, and André Masson. With a great deal of information about the lives of each of the Steins independently and photos of the family (as well as some amazing art), we highly recommend The Steins Collect for this week/weekend. Why not cool off in a museum? Our students will enjoy the great examples of color and line in all of Matisse and Picasso’s work (just like what we’ve learned about this year!) Take a look at some of our favorite images from the exhibition in our gallery (includes portraits of the Stein family members by Matisse and Picasso.)
It ends this Sunday so check it out!
For more information, visit the website: http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/steins-collect