Bouquets: French Still Life Painting
The first major American exhibition to consider the French floral still life across the 19th century premiered last October at the Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 North Harwood, Dallas, Texas.
“Bouquets: French Still-Life Painting from Chardin to Matisse”, co-organized by the DMA and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, showcases approximately 60 floral still lifes from painters such as Paul Cézanne, Gustave Courbet, Eugène Delacroix, Vincent van Gogh and Edouard Manet, along with less familiar contemporaries such as Simon Saint-Jean and Henri Fantin-Latour.
The exhibition traces the development of the floral still life in France from the late 18th century through the early 20th century, emphasizing the depth and scope of creative engagement with the genre throughout this era. On view through February 8, 2015, “Bouquets” positions floral paintings within a broader art historical and cultural narrative and reveals how the traditional genre was reinvented through artistic experimentation in the 19th century.
The show features masterpieces from a variety of public and private collections, including a painting by Gustave Caillebotte which will be appearing in its first public exhibition since the artist’s death in 1894. The diverse range of featured paintings highlights the commitment of artists to the floral still life—many of whom are not readily associated with the genre—and underscores the active exchange of ideas, styles, and modes among artists throughout this time.
After Dallas, the exhibition travels to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia (March 21, 2015-June 21, 2015) and the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado (July 19, 2015-October 11, 2015).
(Image of still life by Édouard Manet courtesy of the Dallas Museum of Art)