PORTLAND, Oregon — Art does something to the senses. Just know that when you walk into the Portland Art Museum for their new exhibit, Monet to Matisse: French Moderns.
“You will see the beautiful art and then immediately the art brings you to France," said Julieann Park, a museum regular. “You will taste the food and you can smell the air of France through the art. That's the magic of the arts, I think.”
The exhibit opens to the public on June 8 and runs through Sept. 15. It features bronze sculptures by Rodin and breathtaking paintings by French artists including Jules Breton, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
“You don't need an art history degree; just bring your eyes because that's what artists are expecting you to bring,” said exhibit curator Lloyd DeWitt.
DeWitt is thrilled to have brought the collection to Portland, on loan from the Brooklyn Museum in New York. He believes Portlanders will connect with what inspired each of the paintings — many of which focus on the working class.
“You've got all these artists, and they are challenging the official system, the government system of the salon,” said DeWitt. “They’re going back to the peasants, going back to the land, away from the gods and goddesses, the fancy salons, and the powdered wigs; they're there with the dirt.”
PHOTOS: Portland Art Museum unveils French masterpieces at new exhibit
Another special exhibition, Pissarro to Picasso: Masterworks on Loan from the Kirkland Family Collection, will run simultaneously at The Portland Art Museum.
Museum director Brian Ferriso hopes the exhibits will serve as a beacon during a critical and exciting season for Portland.
“It's about making this museum and this project become part of the revitalization of our city,” said Ferriso. “We need a bright light and I think this is part of that bright light."
You don't need to convince Park of that; she hopes to convince others to join her in taking it all in.
“I think it is time for everyone to come down to Portland,” said Park. “Connect again and enjoy the arts.”