Last Chance for a First Impression(ism)

Erin Frank - San Francisco

Arrangement in Gray and Black No. 1; Portrait of the Artist’s Mother. 1871. James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). Oil on canvas, 56 3/4 x 64 inches. © RMN (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski

Head to the de Young Museum now for a privileged look at a collection of masterpieces you’d normally have to travel to Europe for. Now in its last weeks of exhibition, Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musée D’Orsay, features works from the 1860s and 1870s, when social and political events in France were mirrored in the art world, particularly what was shown in the state-run Paris Salon—the first and last word in art at the time. After 25 years, the renowned Musée D’Orsayis in need of renovation, and San Francisco reaps the benefit, hosting two stellar exhibits of Impressionism masterworks while the museum gets a makeover in Paris.

The Dancing Lesson. 1873-1876. Edgar Degas (1834-1917). Oil on canvas, 37 3/8 x 29 ½ inches. © RMN (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski

This is your chance to see multiple paintings by the pioneers of Impressionism, including Édouard Manet, Monet, Renoir, Sisley, and more. It’s not to be missed. Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musée D’Orsay closes on September 6th, 2010 (Labor Day), to make way for Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay, which opens to the public on September 25, 2010. The de Young is the only museum in the world to host both exhibitions.

The Floor Scrapers. 1875. Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894). Oil on canvas, 40 1/8 x 57 5/8 inches. © RMN (Musée d’Orsay)/Hervé Lewandowski