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Signac 1863–1935: Master Neo-Impressionist
October 9, 2001–December 30, 2001
Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Exhibition Hall, 2nd floor
Approximately 120 paintings, watercolors, and drawings constitute the first major retrospective in almost 40 years to be devoted to the Neo-Impressionist artist Paul Signac (1863–1935). This long-overdue tribute to Signac’s power of expression traces the artist's development from the luminous plein-air paintings he made in the early 1880s under the influence of Monet’s Impressionism; to his close association with Georges Seurat, from 1884 until 1891, which became the starting point for his exploration of color harmony, contrasts, and Neo-Impressionist technique; to the scintillating works of his maturity, where the rigors of pointillist style give way to richly patterned, mosaic-like surfaces of color. An avid yachtsman who settled in Saint-Tropez in 1892, Signac is celebrated for his glorious views of port towns along the French coast and his resplendent seascapes. Prominently featured in the exhibition, these sea and harbor scenes in oil and watercolor are joined by lesser-known works, among them his early views of the industrialized suburbs of Paris, the vibrant watercolor still lifes of his maturity, and striking ink drawings he made at the end of his career. Signac’s extraordinary Portrait of Félix Fénéon (1890–91) and his other ambitious figure compositions complete the survey.
Accompanied by a catalogue.
The exhibition is made possible by The Florence Gould Foundation.The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York, the Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Musée d'Orsay in Paris, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
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