Two cultural institutions from two coasts are teaming up in 2016 as the Baltimore Museum of Art partners with San Francisco’s SFMOMA. BMA is bringing their expertise on a very particular artist to the mix.
The exhibit will trace how Henri Matisse influenced contemporary painter Richard Diebenkorn. It’s the first big exhibit that will show the direct connection between the two famed artists. BMA is well-positioned to have a hand in such a show, being the holder of a huge collection of Matisse works. Diebenkorn, by turn, was from San Francisco and holds a special place at SFMOMA.
According to a release, the exhibit will feature 90 objects, including books on Matisse from Diebenkorn’s library. The two never met, but Matisse was especially influential in Diebenkorn’s early figuartive work. Some of the first Matisse works Diebenkorn saw were at the BMA.
“Matisse/Diebenkorn reveals connections that contribute to a fresh comprehension of the inventiveness of both artists and furthers the BMA’s goal of using the museum’s extraordinary collection of works by Matisse to bring forth new scholarship on the artist and his influence on others,” said BMA Interim Co-Director Jay Fisher.
The exhibit will arrive first at the BMA in the fall of 2016, then move to SFMOMA in March, 2017.
