A Taste for Modernism

On Sunday, MM and I had a chance to visit the William S. Paley Collection A Taste for Modernism in the de Young Museum. Paley, the founder of CBS, bequeathed his collection of masterpieces of Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne to MOMA in NYC. As his company grew into one of the world’s largest broadcast companies, he endeavored in philanthropic work, becoming MOMA’s president. He collected works that were intimate in scale and character and had the art adorn his apartment, providing a personal and immediate experience of these works.

The small and digestible exhibition did not have the chronological organization as the previous Impressionist exhibits. Rather it had the feel of a stamp collection mirroring the modern taste of the collector. A few of the works were simply striking and moving and arresting.

 Note Latrec’s deft draftsmanship and use of color and honesty.

Henri Matisse Odalisque with a Tambourine
 I love Matisse’s Odalisque: it shows movement, composition and balance of color.

Henri Matisse The Musketeer

 It is fascinating how Matisse uses the bright orange, green and red to focus on what would be unimportant parts of the Musketeer and uses muted notes for the face and gesture of the figure.

Pablo Picasso La Coiffure

Pablo Picasso Circus Rider

 Picasso’s superb draftsmanship is on display in these small drawings.

Pierre Bonnard Reclining Nude

Édouard Vuillard The Green Lamp

 I discovered Bonnard and Vuillard in a previous exbibition. Their small, intimate painting are jewels. Here you see Bonnard and Vuilllard’s work is both and representational and abstract at the same time.

Georges Braque Still Life on a Mantelpiece

Georges Rouault Biblical Landscape with Two Trees

Georges Rouault Little Peasant Girl

Georges Rouault The Clown

Rouault has been a favorite of mine for his black lines that contain bright color and his sympathetic characters and religious imagery.