Tracing art from impressionism through to abstract expressionism, and from Ohio to Adelaide

On display at the Art Gallery of South Australia is a major exhibition of modern art from the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio. The show features fifty-seven masterpieces spanning impressionism through abstract expressionism, from the eighteen seventies to the nineteen seventies, including works by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, and more. Per The Conversation, curator Tansy Curtin has used carefully chosen wall colors, thematic pairings, and strategic lighting to invite visitors to linger with each painting and absorb its texture, composition, and detail. Highlights include intimate portraits by Degas and Manet alongside Berthe Morisot's vibrant garden scene, but the centerpiece is Monet's Waterlilies—a semi-abstract work that seems to dissolve into luminous color. However, only eight of the fifty-seven works on display are by women, fourteen percent, underscoring how slowly museums have confronted gender imbalance in their collections. The exhibition runs through November eighth.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton