SFMOMA Exhibits Modern Masterworks from the Elise S. Haas Collection

Written by Dario Valencia Friday, 15 April 2011 20:45

SAN FRANCISCO,CA - The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) presents the exhibit Modern Masterworks from the Elise S. Haas Collection.  It would be hard to overestimate the significance of the Elise S. Haas collection for SFMOMA. Made up of some 35 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper, this group of stunning early modernist works highlights especially the art of Henri Matisse and Henry Moore but also includes pieces by such luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, and Barbara Hepworth.

A student of art herself, Haas not only collected works by these great artists, but she also endeavored to get to know them personally. Though the collection now seems classic, it was one of the most cutting edge of its time, setting a forward-thinking example that continues to inspire the collecting practices of SFMOMA today.

 In intensity and immediacy of expression, Matisse never surpassed Woman with a Hat, a portrait of his wife Amélie. The painting caused shock and outrage when it was shown at the Salon d'Automne in Paris in 1905, and the painters were derisively labeled fauves ("wild beasts"). Matisse used "deliberate disharmonies" of red, green, orange, purple, and blue. Modeling in the face is created inversely, with green, the complementary of flesh tones. There is no drawing as such; contours are little more than ragged edges between planes of color, and the whole is brushed, especially in the background and toward the sides, with a crudity scarcely seen before. However, beneath the violence can be seen a plan in the progressions and recalls of color that betray the artist's instinctual sensitivity.

On exhibition Thursday, April 24, 2008 - Sunday, July 20, 2008.

The Education Department at SFMOMA organizes a wide range of programs for audiences of all ages. We offer special exhibition-related events, such as artist talks and lectures; tours for students, adult groups, and walk-in visitors; and family days and monthly hands-on family studios. Unique among U.S. art museums, SFMOMA's Koret Visitor Education Center offers new pathways to enjoying art. This dynamic drop-in facility provides a broad range of individualized and interactive services, as well as a full calendar of public programs and activities. Open to all visitors, the Koret Center is located on the Museum's second floor, only steps from the galleries. For more information, including public hours, visit  www.sfmoma.org/

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