Masterpieces from the Johannesburg Art Gallery on display in Turin, from Monet to Picasso

From February 4 to May 7, 2023, Palazzo Barolo in Turin presents the exhibition From Monet to Picasso. Masterpieces from the Johannesburg Art Gallery, curated by Simona Bartolena, produced by Next Exhibition in collaboration with VIDI and Ono Arte Contemporanea.

The exhibition brings together sixty-three original works by great masters of art history: Monet, Signac, Courbet, Degas, Cézanne, Sisley, Derain, Picasso, Matisse, Rossetti, Modigliani, Bacon, Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Kentridge. A journey through the history of international art, but also through the works of the Johannesburg Art Gallery.

“A truly precious and all-to-be-discovered reality,” says curator Simona Bartolena, “aware of its past, but firmly convinced of the need to look toward the future. An important and vital museum, which came to life from a passion, and which with passion and intelligence still continues its journey today.”

The exhibition intends to reflect precisely the artistic-cultural growth path of the city of Johannesburg and in particular of the Johannesburg Art Gallery, founded in the early twentieth century by collector Dorothea Sarah Florence Alexandra Ortlepp Phillips, better known as Lady Florence Phillips, with the intention of transforming a mining center, which grew up around the wealth of its deposits, into a city modeled on the models of European capitals, with a museum that was not just a space in which to collect works of art and exhibit them, but a place for civil society to make and promote culture; a reference for everyone, not just art enthusiasts. The long-term goal was to pave the way for the growth of a South African School of Art, incentivizing local artists for the cultural growth of the whole population.

Therefore, the exhibition begins withnineteenth-century English art and ends with a selection of South African artists. It is no coincidence, then, that it begins with a tribute to Lady Phillips, with a portrait signed by Antonio Mancini, who portrays her at the age of 46.

The first section of the exhibition is devoted to the nineteenth-century English scene, which is very present in the museum’s collection not only because of the Art Gallery’s founding company’s very close ties with British circles, but also because some donations have further enriched the collection with Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite works.

The second section, on the other hand, traces the nineteenth-century French scene, from the experience of the barbizonniers, well represented by a poetic landscape by Corot, to the realism of Courbet, featured in the exhibition with a glimpse of the cliffs of Étretat, and on through Monet, Sisley and Degas to the generations of postimpressionism. Present in the section, in addition to personalities such as Cézanne and Van Gogh, are artists such as Signac, Le Sidaner, Vuillard, Bonnard and others.

The third section is occupied by the museum’s most recent 20th-century nucleus, where the protagonists of the early 20th-century scene are represented: from Derain to Picasso, Modigliani to Matisse, with a Rossetti. The tour then continues into the post-World War II period, with works by important masters of the international scene, including a portrait by Francis Bacon and a triptych, a tribute to Beuys, by Andy Warhol.

An additional section is devoted to the South African scene, Lady Phillips’ Art of the World, where three works by Kentridge stand out . The works on display are signed by artists who are well representative of a context that has always struggled between different cultures, torn between local traditions and European influences.

“Art has always represented a means of putting different people in communication with each other from a cultural point of view. A bridge that has been kept strong through cordial relations between nations. A way to build mutual knowledge and offer positive perspectives on the richness and variety of the world’s different peoples. This exhibition is no exception: it is a way for South Africa, and particularly the city of Johannesburg, to connect with other cities around the world through this prestigious art collection,” said Vuyisile Mshudulu, director Arts, Cultures and Traditions City of Johannesburg.

For info: www.mostrajag.it

The exhibition will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Closed Mondays.

Image: Gustave Courbet, The Cliff at Étretat (1869; oil on canvas) ©Johannesburg Art Gallery

Masterpieces from the Johannesburg Art Gallery on display in Turin, from Monet to Picasso

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