PIERRE BONNARD IN THE EAST BUILDING

Continuing on with my tour of the National Gallery of Art's East building, I exited the room with the Modigliani paintings and entered a room filled with paintings by two of my favorite painters: Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse.

Both artists began their careers in Paris but later they were drawn to the light and color of southern France. I love color in paintings; that's why I love the paintings of the Fauvists  and Nabis; Matisse was associated with the Fauvists; Bonnard was associated with the Nabis. These two artists' work really show how color was important to them in their works. See for yourselves...

Many of Bonnard's paintings simply focus on the everyday life around him.

Work Table (1926/1937): 

This painting was confiscated by the Nazi ERR during WWII, and selected by Herman Goering during one of his *tours* of the Jeu de Paume. It was recovered after the war and returned to France.

The Green Table (1910)

Nude in an Interior (1935): 
The detailing in this painting is remarkable: in the patterns in the wallpaper, the carpeting and the sofa.

Stairs in the Artist's Garden (1942/1944): 
This painting shows the brilliant color Bonnard found while living in the South of France.

A Spring Landscape (1935)

In the next post I will show the brilliant colors of Matisse's masterpieces.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets NW along Constitution Avenue. The entrance to the East Building is on 4th Street NW.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in June, 2017.  Unauthorized use is prohibited.

CÉZANNE IN THE DALE COLLECTION

One of the most influential artists in the history of painting was Paul Cézanne. He inspired generations of modern artists. Generally categorized as a Post-Impressionist, his unique use of color and his analytical approach to nature influenced the art of Cubists, Fauvists and future generations of artists.

Cézanne's early paintings show a dark palette which he finally exchanged for brilliant tones and began painting en plein air (outdoors), encouraged by his good mentor and friend, Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro.

These four masterpieces are part of the amazing Chester Dale collection:
  

Landscape near Paris (1876)

House of Père Lacroix (1873)

Louis Guillaume (1882)

The Artist's Son, Paul (1885/1890)

In my next blog post, I will show how Paul Mellon and Ailsa Mellon Bruce continued their father's vision by donating several masterpieces to the museum.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.

FRENCH IMPRESSIONISTS IN THE DALE COLLECTION

When Chester Dale bequeathed the remainder of his collection to the National Gallery in 1962, the museum's French collection increased nearly threefold. Many of the donated paintings are some of the most spectacular and beloved paintings by the French Impressionists Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot and Pierre Auguste Renoir.

The Houses of Parliament, Sunset (1903) by Claude Monet

Palazzo da Mula, Venice (1908) by Claude Monet

Rouen Cathedral, West Façade (1894) by Claude Monet

Rouen Cathedral, West Façade, Sunlight (1894) by Claude Monet

 

Waterloo Bridge, Gray Day (1903) by Claude Monet

Banks of the Seine, Vétheuil (1880) by Claude Monet

The Mother and Sister of the Artist (1869/1870) by Berthe Morisot

If you are a follower of my blog, you know that Berthe Morisot is my favorite artist.

Below is one of the museum's most beloved paintings:

A Girl with a Watering Can (1876) by Pierre Auguste Renoir

Girl with a Hoop (1885) by Pierre Auguste Renoir

Boulevard des Italiens, Morning Sunlight (1897) by Camille Pissarro

I will continue to show more of the spectacular Dale collection in my next blog post, specifically the Cézanne paintings.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.

 

MODIGLIANI PORTRAITS IN THE DALE COLLECTION

Like Andrew Mellon, Chester Dale made his millions as a banker and on the New York Stock Exchange. His wife, Maud, who was a painter and art critic, introduced Chester to the idea of collecting modern art. They built the bulk of their collection rather quickly, putting the majority of their collection together between 1926 and 1933. In 1929 alone they purchased an astonishing 130 paintings. The Dales collected an amazing number of paintings by their favorites artists: 17 by Renoir; 15 by Picasso; 25 by Toulouse-Lautrec; 11 by Monet; and 21 by Modigliani.

Once the National Gallery opened in 1941, the Dales began to lend and donate paintings to the museum. When Chester Dale died in 1962, he bequeathed the remainder of his collection to the National Gallery. The Dale collection is comprised of over 300 works, mostly modern French art. The gift nearly tripled the gallery's 19th-century French collection, but the dazzling quality of the gift was even more noteworthy than its quantity. Virtually every major artist who worked in Paris from the  mid-1800s to mid-1900s is represented.

Portraiture dominates the Dale collection, largely owing to the influence of Maud. She felt portraiture, more than any other genre of art, was a reflection not only of the artist and the sitter but also of the era in which they lived.

Maud Dale favored portraits painted by Amedeo Modigliani. She organized exhibitions featuring his work and published one of the very first monographs on the artist in 1929. The Dales eventually collected 21 of what critics considered to be the finest works by Modigliani. Thirteen of these works are now in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Four were on display during my visit.

Nude on a Blue Cushion (1917)

Modigliani was renowned for his languorous nudes. An exhibition in 1918 in Paris was closed by the police on the grounds of obscenity.

Gypsy Woman with Baby (1919)

Madame Amédée-Woman with Cigarette (1918) 

It is very easy to recognize a work by Modigliani. The subjects of both his paintings and sculptures feature elongated faces, necks and features.

Chaim Soutine (1917)

Modigliani painted several portraits of his artist friends such as Maurice Utrillo, Pablo Picasso and Chaim Soutine.

Modigliani's use of drink and drugs contributed to his early death at age 35 in Paris of tubercular meningitis.

I will continue to show more of the spectacular Dale collection in my next blog post.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.

VERMEER AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

Of course, visiting the National Gallery of Art was at the top of my wishlist when we planned our visit to Washington D.C. The National Gallery of Art was opened in 1941, thanks to the incredible generosity of Pittsburgh financier Andrew Mellon. Andrew Mellon donated his private collection of paintings and sculpture to start the museum, the funds in order to construct the building and a sizable endowment to maintain the museum. He purposely did not name the museum after himself because he wanted other major collectors, such as P. A. B. Widener, Samuel Kress and Chester Dale, to donate their art collections to create the gift to the nation that has became one of the premier art museums in the world. And the best part is admission is FREE to everyone everyday.

The highlight of the visit was seeing the four Vermeers. Considering there are only 37 known works by Vermeer in the world, to see 4 of them on one wall was unbelievable:

Woman Holding a Balance (1664). Part of P. A. B. Widener's gift to the museum.

Girl Holding a Flute (1665/1670). Part of P. A. B. Widener's gift to the museum.

A Lady Writing (1665). A gift from the Havemeyer Family.

The Girl with a Red Hat (1665). Part of Andrew Mellon's founding gift to the museum.

These four paintings are part of the vast Dutch painting collection at the National Gallery of Art. From Rembrandt to Frans Hals to Jan Lievens to Jan Steen, the Dutch collection is one of the finest in the world. I will continue my tour of the museum in my next blog post.

The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue.

• Admission is always FREE.
• Open Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Open Sunday: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Closed on December 25 and January 1. 

All photos in this blog post were taken by me during my visit in September, 2013.