Pierre Bonnard's "Portrait of Leila Claude Anet," 1930, oil on canvas. Norton Simon Art Foundation

by Kelly Boyd

Norton Simon: Gaze: Portraiture after Ingres, through 4/5/10.

Reaching its greatest height in France under the rule of Napoleon III, portraiture had up until the late 1860s been characterized by Ingres’ fidelity to the face and emphasis on the patron’s prestigious social and moral standing.  In “Gaze: Portraiture after Ingres”, the Norton Simon explores the avant-garde’s appropriation of the conventional genre and their subsequent subversion of it.  Including works by Van Gogh, Picasso, Modigliani and Warhol, Gaze reveals the desire of artists from the mid 19^th century to the modern day to engage in portraiture and capture their contemporary worlds without the expectations imposed by paying customers.  The exhibition of nearly 150 paintings, sculpture and photographs from the museum’s collection demonstrates the triumph of technique over subject, and how this development served to enhance rather than detract from the genre itself.

LACMA: Renoir in the 20thCentury, 2/14/ 10 – 5/ 9/10

Fans familiar with Renoir’s Impressionist work may be surprised by LACMA’s upcoming exhibition, “Renoir in the 20^th Century.”  The exhibition chronicles the last three decades of Renoir’s career, his break with Impressionism and adoption of a more decorative and classical style. Continue reading ‘Must-See Winter Museum Shows in LA’