Moscow museum sends 52 paintings never before viewed in U.S. to Atlanta, two other cities

HOUSTON, TEXAS - More than 50 paintings, including works by Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet, that have never before been viewed in the United States will go on display in Houston Sunday as part of an historical exhibit exchange with a Moscow museum. <br> <br> ``At least within the museum profession, and hopefully within the public at-large, this is seen as an important moment because it is the first,&#39;&#39; Peter Marzio, director of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, said during a preview of the exhibit Thursday. ``To have 52 of the 76 works in this show for their first time appearance in the United States is a great honor for us.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The show titled, ``Old Masters, Impressionists, and Moderns: French Masterworks from the State Pushkin Museum, Moscow,&#39;&#39; will remain on display in Houston through March 9 and then travel to Atlanta&#39;s High Museum of Art and later to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. <br> <br> The paintings, selected by curators from Houston who visited the Pushkin Museum, were agreed to by the Russian museum&#39;s director, Irina Antonova. She is credited with saving many of them from destruction during a period when the Communist Party considered Impressionism perverted art and outlawed it. <br> <br> ``Today we can only be glad that they were not stolen or ruined,&#39;&#39; Antonova said Thursday through an interpreter. ``Now they are a major part of our museum.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Gregory Guroff, president of the Foundation for International Arts and Education, which is dedicated to preserving the historical and cultural legacy of the countries of the former Soviet Union, said Antonova&#39;s efforts to save the art were exceptional. <br> <br> ``They fought every step of the way to preserve this art,&#39;&#39; he said. ``One has to understand the enormous courage of people in museums which preserved and continued to do work and push the envelope.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Guroff said the partnership between the Houston and Moscow museums is historic. <br> <br> Houston curator Edgar Peters Bowron, who led a portion of a tour of the Houston exhibit Thursday, said his initial request got quickly turned down by Antonova. <br> <br> ``She did not want us to come and cherry pick their finest paintings,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I went and selected the very best paintings I thought should come here and there is a Russian word I&#39;m sure you&#39;re all familiar with, &#39;Nyet.&#39;&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Bowron said he eventually came to a compromise with Antonova and is very pleased with the outcome. He said in evaluating the Pushkin&#39;s collection he looked at each painting, evaluating it based on quality, condition and historical merit. <br> <br> He came back with some prizes, said High Museum of Art Director Michael Shapiro. <br> <br> ``It was an art historical no-brainer, fantastic works of art rarely ever seen in our country,&#39;&#39; he said. ``They come from a country which has been a reluctant lender in the past.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Included in the exhibit of French paintings, which is set up chronologically and spans the 17th through the early 20th century, are renowned paintings not seen before in this country, including: <br> <br> Monet&#39;s ``Boulevard des Capucines&#39;&#39; (1873), a landmark painting which is said to have launched the Impressionist movement. Another notable Monet that&#39;s part of the exhibit is his ``White Water Lilies&#39;&#39; (1901) inspired by a lily pond he created in his backyard. <br> <br> Picasso&#39;s ``Harlequin and his Companion&#39;&#39; (1901), which according to Mary Morton of the Houston museum shows ``the kind of loneliness, which is particularly urban&#39;&#39; in a painting of two figures seated at a Paris cafe. <br> <br> Other works, some of which have been rarely seen in the United States, include: <br> <br> Vincent Van Gogh&#39;s ``Portrait of Doctor Rey&#39;&#39; (1889) and ``The Prison Courtyard&#39;&#39; (1890). <br> <br> Paul Gauguin&#39;s ``The Flowers of France&#39;&#39; (1891), ``Eiaha Ohipa&#39;&#39; (1896) and ``The Ford&#39;&#39; (1901). <br> <br> Henri Matisse&#39;s ``Nasturtiums and The Dance&#39;&#39; (1912), ``Goldfish&#39;&#39; (1912) and ``Calla Lillies, Irises, and Mimosas&#39;&#39; (1913). <br> <br> The exchanges between the Pushkin and the Houston Museum of Fine Art began with long-term loans of single masterpieces and then evolved into exhibits in December 2001 when the Houston museum sent a portion of its Glassell Collection of African gold to Moscow.