Impressive at the Kimbell

According to Dr. Malcolm Warner, the acting director of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, the Impressionists—the renowned revolutionaries of the 19th-Century art world—were keen observers of modern life. So when we look at their paintings, it’s easy to construct stories based on what we observe. What are the people wearing and doing? How are they interacting? “This is why the works are so appealing to us now,” Dr. Warner says.

But you can evaluate this theory for yourself: From June 29 through November 2, the Kimbell hosts The Impressionists: Master Paintings From the Art Institute of Chicago, a collection of 92 masterworks by such painters as Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, van Gogh, Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Toulouse-Lautrec. The Kimbell is the only place you can see this collection; the works are on loan while the Chicago Art Institute undergoes an expansion by architect Renzo Piano, who will coincidentally oversee the Kimbell’s own planned expansion.

Make your plans now, and visit during the week, if you can: Museum officials say that The Impressionists rivals the Kimbell’s Barnes Collection exhibition in 1994, which drew more than 400,000 visitors and topped all previous Texas art-show attendance records. Call 817/332-8451; www.kimbellart.org.

From the June 2008 issue.

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