Arts Thursday 4^th October 2018

MODERN MASTERS IN ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage opened at The Art Gallery of NSW last week and this week Maisy Stapleton spoke to Peter Raisis, Senior Curator of Historical European Art about the exhibition.

The exhibition is a stunning showcase of the modern movement, “capturing the ebullience, idealism and confidence of the European modern masters in the late 19^th century and early years of the 20^th century” and includes work by French painters Picasso, Matisse, Gaugin, Monet, Cezanne and the Russian painters Kandinsky and Malevich.

The story behind these paintings is also fascinating.

Over two thirds of the paintings in this exhibition were originally collected by two prominent and wealthy Russian art connoisseurs Sergey Shchukin and Ivan Morozov who used their vast mercantile fortunes to buy contemporary art.

It was said that Shchukin’s and Morozov’s purchases of so many works by Matisse and Picasso, gave both artists the financial support they needed to fully launch their careers.

In the second part of Arts Thursday we explore another modern masterpiece – The Horizon Apartments in Darlinghurst – designed by the late architect Harry Seidler on the site of the former ABC studios and offices. The building has just celebrated its 20^th anniversary.

Two of the Horizon residents, Peter Morton (who once worked in the ABC studios) and architect Mark Broadley (Chairman of the Horizon Owners’ Corporation) join the program to tell us about the building and its residents.

FIND OUT MORE:

Masters of Modern Art from the Hermitage: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/hermitage/

The Hermitage State Museum: https://www.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/

Sydney Open (Sydney Living Museums): https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/sydneyopen

LISTEN IN:

The whole program can be heard on demand through the Arts Thursday page /arts/artsthursday/ by clicking on the date 18th October 2018.

And watch out for individual podcasts.

Join Maisy Stapleton fortnightly from 10:30 to noon on Arts Thursday for conversations, behind-the-scenes views and coverage of Sydney’s arts events, stories and issues.