Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Pearlman Foundation May 21–September 17, 2023

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Tickets include general admission.

“Travel back in time to Paris at the turn of the century.”
—Houston CityBook

See outstanding works by art stars including Cezanne, Degas, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Manet, and Modigliani presented within the context of their experiences. This exhibition examines the friendships the artists developed in Paris as well as the many locations and sites—regional, national, and international—that shaped their work individually.

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces brings to Houston paintings from the collection of the Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation. The collection was assembled by New York–based Henry Pearlman (1895–1974), the son of Russian immigrant parents. He loved discovering hidden masterworks and learning about the social bonds among artists and their aesthetic influences on each other.

The galleries featuring these “artists in motion” are arranged in four sections:

• Van Gogh and Gauguin
  Vincent van Gogh moved from the Netherlands to England, Belgium, Paris, and then the South of France. Paul Gauguin’s more exotic trajectory took him to Peru, France, Tahiti, and the Marquesas. The two artists developed an alliance after meeting in Paris in 1886.
• Soutine, Modigliani, and Lipchitz
  Chaïm Soutine, Amedeo Modigliani, and Jacques Lipchitz were all Jewish, with Soutine and Lipchitz emigrating from Eastern Europe and Modigliani from Italy. Each settled in the famed cosmopolitan artists’ residence La Ruche (the Beehive) in Montparnasse.
• Cezanne and the Avant-Garde
  The Pearlman Collection is particularly strong in the paintings and watercolors of Paul Cezanne. This section considers the significance of the artist’s native Aix-en-Provence on his sense of self and his work. It also covers his time in Paris and the artistic relationships he forged there.
• Artists and Collectors
  Pearlman sought out artists and developed lasting relationships with Jacques Lipchitz and Austrian painter Oskar Kokoshka. With the advent of World War II, Lipchitz fled Europe for New York and was welcomed by Pearlman and other patrons. Kokoshka took refuge in London, where Pearlman met him and sat for a portrait.

Among the other works featured from the collection are paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley; and sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck and Giacomo Manzù. Selections from the MFAH Beck Collection, assembled during the same period as the Pearlmans’ acquisitions, provide enlightening contexts through which to view both collections. 

► Audio Guide
The exhibition audio guide offers commentary on selected works of art. To listen in the galleries, please bring your mobile device and headphones. Disponible en español.

► Shop the Show
Find exhibition-related items at the MFA Shop online.

► Digital Catalogue
The exhibition is accompanied by Artists in Motion: Modern Masterpieces from the Pearlman Collection, an illustrated digital catalogue that includes an essay exploring the themes of migration and creativity.

► Group Visits
Visiting with a group of 10 or more? For information, see Group Visits and Tours. Group reservations not available for opening and closing weeks.

► Culinary Canvas
Le Jardinier at MFAH features the summer cocktail “La Ruche,” named after the shared residences of many affluent Impressionists in the Montparnasse area of Paris. “La Ruche” (“beehive”) uses ingredients the artists might have enjoyed, such as honey. 

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Pearlman Foundation / May 21–September 17, 2023