I love the work of late 19th century painters like Edouard Manet and the work of Hollywood photographers of the Golden Age like the great George Hurrell, so I immediately made plans to head to Toledo, Ohio, when the city's art museum announced showing of a collection of portraits by 19th century painter Manet and a showing of Hollywood portraits from the collection of John Kobel to run pretty much concurrently through this fall and early winter.
"Manet: Portraying Life" is an exclusive showing of approximately 40 of the artist's portraits drawn from more than 25 museums and private collections worldwide. The Toledo Museum of Art is the only U.S. venue for this show, which it co-organized with the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
Manet, often called "the father of Impressionism", recorded scenes of daily Parisian life in the mid- to late-1800s. Manet painted family, friends and important literary, political or artistic personalities of his time in a seemingly casual way that he often presented as a more general representation of French life, culture or society.
The collection includes familiar works like a portrait of French painter Berthe Morisot ("Berthe Morisot with a Bouquet of Violets") that I remember seeing when we toured the Musee d'Orsay a few years back and more obscure and seldom-seen works from private collections.
Manet had a special interest in the fashions of his day, so fans of historic costume will enjoy the artist's attention to the details of the clothing of his models and the choices he made for some of the costumes his sitters wore during their sessions with him.
Costuming also played an important role in the lives of Hollywood stars and that represented a common thread between the Manet exhibition and the "Made in Hollywood" show for me.
The Hollywood exhibition is a traveling show featuring more than 90 prints of some of the biggest Hollywood stars from throughout Hollywood's Golden Age (1920-1960). The prints offer an intriguing look into fame, both enduring and fleeting, and the work of well-known photographers that include images from more than 30 great photographers ranging from Hurrell (known for his beautiful glamour shots of the beautifully dressed stars) to more surprising people like Margaret Bourke-White (better known for her documentary work as a war correspondent and as an architectural and commercial photographer).
This exhibition, organized in 2008 by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, makes its final stop in Toledo after a tour that included a record-setting number of visitors when it showed at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
I found the images taken by photographers who recorded the action on the movie set, often for purposes of providing a tool to insure continuity for directors who had to re-shoot scenes or shoot action at different times particularly fascinating.
There is still time to take in both shows before the end of the year, so give yourself a special treat over the holidays.
The Made in Hollywood show runs through January 20, 2013. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for seniors or adults.
The Manet show runs through January 1, 2013. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for seniors or students.
The best deal? Spring for a $12 combo ticket that includes admission to both shows and buy your ticket in advance at the museum's web site.
Make sure you stop by the special showing of "Prints and Authors from the Time of Manet" in the museum's Works on Paper Gallery on the first floor. This exhibition of 120 books, photographs and prints produced by Manet and some of his contemporaries focuses on the nature, culture and politics of the period running from 1830 to 1890. The show consists of works drawn from the museum's own collection and is included as part of the regular museum admission (free).
We also found that our affiliate-level membership from the Detroit Institute of Arts entitled us to free parking (a savings of $5) at the Toledo museum and a 10 percent discount at the museum gift store.
The catalog for the Manet exhibition, Manet: Portraying Life by Maryanne Stevens, Colin Bailey, Stephane Guegan, Leah Lehmbeck and Lawrence Nichols, is well worth checking out for the opportunity to enjoy this collection again and again. I also enjoyed reading Manet: The Still Life Paintings by George Mauner.
Want to learn more about the great photographers of the Golden Age of Hollywood? Check out the companion book for the "Made in Hollywood" exhibition, Glamour of the Gods by Robert Dance and John Taylor or Hollywood Movie Stills: Art and Technique in the Golden Age of the Studios by Joel W. Finler.
© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved
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