By Eric Butler
Now, read this carefully because this is a big one — big enough that the Speed Museum had to issue its press release a full five months before the exhibit’s June 7 opening. “Berthe Morisot: An Impressionist and Her Circle” is sweeping into town this summer with over 75 original works in tow, including world-renowned French Impressionists Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet, and with a particular focus on the underdog title artist, Berthe Morisot. This rarely seen collection of paintings, prints, watercolors and drawings has been culled from one of the most important French collections of avant-garde painting, the Denis and Annie Rouart Collection, and will be on view to the public through Sept. 18.It’s the first time these pieces have ever been shown in the U.S., and of all the thousands of art museums in the country the Speed was chosen as one of only three (that’s three) venues to be included in the tour. (Eat our shorts, MoMA.) The pieces were shown in Washington, D.C.’s National Museum of Women in the Arts from Jan. 14 through May 8, and after Louisville will go to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art in Tennessee — then it’s back home to the Mus?e Marmottan-Monet in Paris.Speed Museum director Peter Morrin is pleased that the Speed was included in the venture.“It really is an honor,” he said. “Ruth Cloudman, the chief curator [of the Speed], travels to France every year and met with the staff of the Mus?e Marmottan-Monet.” The Speed works to network itself with other museums through similar relationships and other personal contacts.As for content, the exhibition will center on the artworks of Berthe Morisot, a lesser-known female artist who was incorporated into the Impressionist circle in 1874. Aside from providing the public with a glimpse at her impressive works and those of her acclaimed peers, the exhibit seeks to establish Morisot as an integral figure in the Impressionist oeuvre. In her own lifetime, Morisot was included in seven of the eight major Impressionist exhibitions, and single-handedly organized the group’s final show in 1886. In terms of involvement, that’s surely nothing to sneeze at.Regarding the movement’s stylistic qualities, Morrin said, “The light and color of Impressionism is striking. Impressionists were among the first artists to work consistently out of doors, and sunlight is the protagonist of every Impressionist drama.” Morisot’s loose brushstrokes, unfinished backgrounds and light-infused color palette support and further exemplify the Impressionists’ aesthetic aims.All in all, this “bright and blurry” approach has proven to be marketable. On the Speed Museum’s Web site, www.speedmuseum.org, the promotional tag for this exhibition says, “Impressionism is arguably the world’s most popular art movement.” It’s a pretty bold assertion, but test it out for yourself: ask the person next to you if they can name any artistic styles and see if they don’t come up with Impressionism. If nothing else, it’ll provide you with an opening line to ask the person out.But as to why Impressionism found — and continues to find — such a strong following in the public market, Morrin said, “The Impressionists painted for a middle-class audience, so enjoyable activities of everyday life, like picnicking, gardening or going to a caf?, were frequently depicted. You don’t have to know the lives of the saints or Greek mythology to ‘get’ the paintings.”Whatever the reason, you can judge for yourself on June 7, when the exhibition goes public. Tickets to “Berthe Morisot: An Impressionist and Her Circle” are $10 and are available on site beginning May 16. Of course, ticket buyers can also browse the rest of the Speed while there, so find yourself a particularly sweltering afternoon to spend the day indoors and bask in the beauty of this important artistic showcase.
