French Moderns : Monet to Matisse 1850–1950

The years between the Revolution of 1848 and the end of World War II were characterised by profound social, intellectual and political change in France. The art world, centred in Paris, also witnessed remarkable transformations as artists experimented with bold, expressive styles – Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism and Surrealism – that soon joined the Western artistic canon.

This splendid volume, refreshed with new artworks, feature masterpieces from the Brooklyn Museum’s renowned European collection, marking France as the centre of international modernism from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century. Ranging in scale, subject and style, these paintings and sculptures were produced by the era’s leading artists, both French-born and others who studied and worked in France. Artists represented include Cézanne, Chagall, Courbet, Degas, Derain, Matisse, Monet, Morisot, Renoir, Rodin and Vuillard.

Organised into four sections, the works in French Moderns exemplify the successive avant-garde movements that defined modern art in the 19th and 20th centuries, tracing a shift from naturalism to the rise of abstraction. The themes of ‘Landscape’, ‘Still Life’, ‘Portraits and Figures’ and ‘The Nude’ reveal illuminating comparisons and contrasts across time and mediums.

This new revised and updated hardback edition is published to coincide with an exhibition touring the USA: Portland Art Museum, OR (June 8–Sept 15, 2024; Columbia Museum of Art, SC (Oct 5, 2024–Jan, 2025); Vero Beach Museum of Art, FL (Feb 1–June 22, 2025); Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL (Aug 5, 2025–Jan 4, 2026); Birmingham Museum of Art, AL (Jan 30–May 24, 2026).