A look at current exhibitions on display at Philadelphia Museum of Art
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- "Matisse in the 1930s" explores French artist Henri Matisse in this decade of his career.
"Matisse was an artist with a lot of renown and success, but he was also in the middle of a very prolonged painting slump," says Matthew Affron, Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art.
Then, in 1930, Matisse was commissioned to paint a 45-foot-wide mural for the main gallery of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, resulting in a renewal of his career.
The exhibition includes about 140 pieces spread across seven galleries, along with a skirt worn by the model in Matisse's 1937 "Woman in Blue" painting.
This is the only U.S. showing of the exhibition. It heads to Paris at the end of January.
"Matisse in the 1930s" runs through January 29th.
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"Macho Men: Hypermasculinity in Dutch and American Prints" showcases art that depicts the so-called ideal man in two different historical moments of crisis.
The artwork is from the United States around 1930 during the Great Depression, and the Netherlands around 1600, when they were at war with Spain.
Though centuries apart, the works are notably similar.
"Artists in both contexts were using these images of big, muscley men in order to explore ideas about nationhood and labor and masculinity" says Jun Nakamura, Suzanne Andree Curatorial Fellow.
The exhibition explores how those ideas have stood the test of time.
"Macho Men: Hypermasculinity in Dutch and American Prints" runs through Spring 2023.
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"Ink and Brush: The Beauty and Spirit of Japanese Calligraphy" teaches the history and importance of the art form in Japanese culture.
"The writing turns into a poetic and abstract picture," says Xiaojin Wu, Luther W. Brady Curator of Japanese Art.
The works in the exhibition were written over a span of 300 years, and the poems have since been translated to English.
"Ink and Brush: The Beauty and Spirit of Japanese Calligraphy" runs through April 30, 2023.
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