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18/1/2005

Manet Manet

Neue Pinakothek, Munich

Zwei Bilder, ein Raum
Manet Face to Face. Le Déjeuner - Un bar aux Folies-Bergère

In cooperation with the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, London, the Neue Pinakothek in Munich will exhibit two of the most important paintings of the 19th century: Edouard Manet's Le déjeuner (1868) and Un bar aux Folies-Bergère (1881/82). For the first time, the two Manet masterpieces will be presented on their own in a unique and focused exhibition. Munich will thereby host an art event of exceptional importance.

It has been almost one hundred years (1910) since both paintings were on view in Munich as part of the Auguste Pellerin Collection in Heinrich Thannhauser's prominent "Moderne Galerie." Purchased that same year by Cassirer, Le déjeuner found its way into the collection of the Neue Pinakothek in 1911 as a gift from Georg Ernst Schmidt-Reissig within the scope of the Tschudi endowment. Un bar aux Folies-Bergère was acquired by the textile magnate Samuel Courtauld in 1926 for his collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. The last time that both paintings were exhibited together – albeit not sharing the same room – was on the 100th anniversary of Manet's death, in the large retrospectives in Paris and New York in 1983.

The catalogue from that exhibition described Le déjeuner as Manet's "first true 'naturalist' scene," a work that initiated a series of paintings of modern life that was to culminate with Un bar aux Folies-Bergère. In fact, the two works are united through a set of shared details: Le déjeuner and Un bar aux Folies-Bergère both have a comparable format and composition, with a three-quarter figure in the foreground set in a contemporary genre scene. Both paintings are absorbing, given that the central figures are very large in comparison to the painting's actual format and are painted as if they were relatively close to the focal plane. They stand there as if motionless and are apparently looking in the direction of the viewer. At the same time, they seem to be self-centered and aloof. To this day, the pictorial enigmas have given rise to a multitude of interpretations.

Both paintings are not only two magnificent works in the French artist's oeuvre, they are also two icons of modern art that are still today as fascinating as they are bewildering. They mark the beginning and end of Manet's most mature and authentic creative phase and will be presented not within the tumult of a large exhibition, but with a distinctive focus on this pinnacle of European art. The exhibition will invite the viewer to take a careful look at the paintings, first and foremost for their sheer visual force, but also in order to intensively experience their enigmatic nature. The concentrated look at both works will be supplemented by x-rays and introductory texts that will shed light on the origins and development of the compositions.

A catalogue will accompany the exhibition: Manet Manet | Zwei Bilder im Dialog (Two Paintings in Dialogue) with contributions from James Cuno, The Art Institute of Chicago; John House, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and Joachim Kaak, Neue Pinakothek Munich.
136 pages, 19,90 euros.

Image: Édouard Manet, Un Bar aux Folies-Bergère | Detail, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen

Press breakfast: January 19, 2005, 10.00

Opening: January 20, 2005, 18.00

The admission price for this special Manet exhibition will be 4 euros (reduced admission 2.50 euros).

The exhibition was shown at the Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery, London, until January 9, 2005, under the title “Manet Face to Face”.

The Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen would like to thank Merck Finck & Co, Privatbankiers, for their generous support.

Le déjeuner, 1868
Un bar aux Folies-Bergère, 1881-82

For further information please contact:
Gina Maria Becker, M.A.
Head of press department and public relations
Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen
Tel +49.(0)89.23 805-118

Neue Pinakothek
Barer Strasse 29 Munich

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