Collection: Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes

Barnes Foundation

June 23 – September 8, 2024

Matisse & Renoir: New Encounters at the Barnes, presented in the Roberts Gallery, offers a fresh perspective on renowned canvases from the collection. Featuring approximately 35 iconic works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse from the second floor of the collection galleries, the exhibition reflects the expansion of the Barnes’s educational program and emphasizes the historical and cultural context of the works.

Tracing the creative development of two foundational artists of European modernism, this exhibition will display Matisse and Renoir paintings from the same period in proximity for the first time, including Matisse’s The Joy of Life (1905–6) and Red Madras Headdress (1907) and Renoir’s Leaving the Conservatory (1876–77) and Mussel-Fishers at Berneval (1879). Creating space for new conversations between works—a critical aspect of education, research, and public access—it will give audiences a rare opportunity to temporarily view these paintings in new contexts and juxtapositions.

From May 30 to September 8, 2024, during the run of this exhibition, the second floor of the Barnes collection will be temporarily closed for floor refinishing.