The Phillips Collection Art collector Duncan Phillips devoted his life to bringing to greater audiences his joy and delighted understanding of art. By the time he purchased Renoir's celebrated Luncheon of the Boating Party in 1923, Phillips was committed to gathering and interpreting the art of the modern age. He opened a museum two years earlier, in 1921, in two rooms of his family's home in Washington, D.C., and already had acquired nearly 240 paintings.
El Greco to Picasso reflects Phillips' personal understanding of art in the modern era and his approach to collecting and interpreting it. His goal was not to create an encyclopedic collection, but rather to assemble groups of works that would resonate with one another, revealing the visual harmonies that tied together historical masterworks with the art of his own time. His collection was, above all, a product of his own tastes including his love of color and belief in the universality and continuity of art across time. El Greco to Picasso presents modern masterworks of the late 19th and early 20th centuries alongside works by earlier masters that Phillips felt anticipated the modern movements, such as Delacroix, Ingres, El Greco, and Chardin.
Highlights of El Greco to Picasso include Luncheon of the Boating Party (1880-81), which Phillips called "the only Renoir I need"; van Gogh's Entrance to the Public Gardens in Arles (1888), purchased in 1930; Cézanne's Ginger Pot with Pomegranate and Pears (1890-93), believed to have once been given to Claude Monet as a gift from the artist; Picasso's The Blue Room (1901), which demonstrates Picasso's mannered, exaggerated way of presenting a figure and his monochromatic palette characteristic of his Blue Period paintings; and Paul Klee's Picture Album (1937). Earlier masterworks include El Greco's The Repentant St. Peter (c. 1600-05, or later), Chardin's A Bowl of Plums (c. 1728), Delacroix's Paganini (1831), and Ingres' The Small Bather (1826).
The Exhibition Sponsors
Major funding for the Arizona presentation is provided by the Museum's Friends of European Art, APS, America West Airlines, Wells Fargo, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation, J.W. Kieckhefer Foundation, Margaret T. Morris Foundation, Michael and Heather Greenbaum, and Barbara Turner Hitchcock. Promotional support is provided by Bashas', The Arizona Republic, Clear Channel Radio, KPNX-TV Channel 12, Dillard's, ClearChannel Outdoor, Phoenix Magazine, azcentral.com, Russ Lyon Realty, KJZZ/KBAQ Radio, La Voz, and Jewish News of Greater Phoenix.
Tickets and Hours
El Greco to Picasso will be on view in Phoenix Art Museum's South Wing and is specially ticketed with timed and dated entry. Admission is $16 for adults, $8 for children ages 6-17, free for Museum Members and children under age 6. Advance purchase of tickets is recommended. Admission includes the bilingual audioguide and general admission for the rest of the Museum. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster, or in person at the Museum. Exhibition hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday, 11:30am to 6pm; Thursday, 11:30am to 9pm; Saturday & Sunday, 9am to 6pm. Last entry to the exhibition each day is 90 minutes prior to closing. Masterworks Market is open during exhibition hours.
For more information about the exhibition, visit the Phoenix Art Museum web site or call the 24-hour information line at (602) 257-1222.
See a photo of August Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party
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