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National Gallery of Australia opens Gauguin, Cézanne and beyond—Post-Impressionism from the Musée d’Orsay

Paul Gauguin: Tahitian women on a beach

Paul Gauguin: Tahitian women on a beach

Paul Cézanne: Mount Saint-Victoire

Paul Cézanne: Mount Saint-Victoire

Vincent van Gogh: Bedroom at Arles

Vincent van Gogh: Bedroom at Arles

National Gallery of Australia opens Gauguin, Cézanne and beyond—Post-Impressionism from the Musée d’Orsay

One of the most extraordinary international art events ever held in Australia opens tomorrow at the National Gallery of Australia, with the world premiere of Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and beyond—Post-Impressionism from the Musée d’Orsay
4 December 2009 – 5 April 2010

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Source: National Gallery of Australia
This exceptional exhibition brings together 112 of the best known works of modern art from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Included are iconic works such as Vincent van Gogh’s beautiful Starry night 1888 and Van Gogh’s bedroom at Arles 1889, Paul Gauguin’s Tahitian women 1891, Paul Cézanne’s beloved Mount Saint-Victoire c 1890 as well as many works by Georges Seurat, Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Maurice Denis, Edouard Vuillard and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec among others.

“Masterpieces from Paris is the most important exhibition ever shown at the National Gallery of Australia. There are only a handful of Post-Impressionist works in this country, and this is the first time this remarkable collection of masterpieces has left France together. This truly is a unique opportunity for Australians to see these renowned works of art in their own time and in their own national gallery. I would like to thank the Musée d’Orsay for sharing this remarkable collection with all Australians,” said Ron Radford AM, Director of the National Gallery of Australia.

Masterpieces from Paris showcases the works of 33 artists from the revolutionary Post-Impressionist movement, which occurred in France in the second half of the 19th century.

“We are very proud that our Post-Impressionist masterpieces, the crème de la crème of the Musée d’Orsay’s collection, can travel from Paris to Canberra, from one national capital to another. We are pleased to have been able to work with the National Gallery of Australia and the Australian government on this extraordinary exhibition. By collaborating and sharing French artistic creativity with the Australian public, we are further building the connections between our two countries,” said Guy Cogeval, President of the Musée d’Orsay.

The artists in this exhibition changed the course of modern art. Van Gogh’s adventures with the emotion of paint and the drama of colour have made him famous. Gauguin travelled to Brittany, and then to Tahiti, seeking artistic renewal. Seurat devised a ‘scientific’ approach to painting, while the rebel Cézanne’s simplification of forms (he claimed he would ‘astonish Paris with an apple’) have made him a giant in art—then and now.

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National Gallery of Australia opens Gauguin, Cézanne and beyond—Post-Impressionism from the Musée d’Orsay