'Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes' on view through Sept. 8

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- 'Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes' features iconic works from the second-floor galleries.

The exhibition was co-curated by Cindy Kang and Corrinne Chong.

"See these paintings in a new light," says Kang.

'The Music Lesson' by Matisse is one of the highlights of the exhibition.

"And this exhibition presents an incredible opportunity to see them in a totally new setting and see new juxtapositions," says Kang.

There are 34 works on display, all from the Barnes' collection.

"Dr. Barnes collected Matisse and Renoir's work voraciously over four decades," says Kang.

She says the work on display spans Renoir's work from the 1880s, all the way through Matisse's late work from the 1940s.

The exhibition explores the artists' creative development and their connection to each other.

"This friendship of Matisse and Renoir," says Kang.

With a nearly 30-year age gap between them, Renoir mentored Matisse near the end of his life.

"It was just this period from 1917 to 1919," says Kang. "Matisse was coming up as a young artist in the early 20th century and he greatly admired Renoir, was collecting his work."

The exhibition will take visitors on a trip through European modernism.

Chong says the exhibition opens with "a cross-section of all the genres, such as portraiture and landscape, which Renoir had engaged with."

Renoir, an Impressionist, captured moments of modern daily life.

Chong says iconic Renoir pieces on view include 'Leaving the Conservatory,' 'Mussel-Fishers' and 'Promenade.'

"The physical, tangible connection between the two is the 'Promenade,' which is a work that hung in Renoir's home when Matisse would visit," says Kang. "So a work that Matisse actually visited and studied in Renoir's company."

Renoir paved the way for Matisse's Fauve work in the early 20th century.

"This new style where he painted in incredibly bold, vibrant, non-naturalistic colors, and played with different proportions of space and perspective," says Kang.

Matisse's works on view include, 'The Joy of Life' and 'Red Madras Headdress.'

"We hope that visitors will be able to see how much Matisse did learn from Renoir," says Kang. "How important Renoir was to modern European art."

'Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes' is on view through September 8 at the Barnes Foundation.

'Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters' | Tickets
Barnes Foundation
2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19130