The Annenberg Collection

The Annenberg Collection consists of 53 masterpieces, including paintings, watercolors and drawings of 18 of the greatest artists working in France during the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. This annual event, now in its sixth year, provides an exceptional opportunity for visitors to experience this renowned collection. The works are shown in the Museum’s 19^th-century European Paintings and Sculpture Galleries, hung together in three central rooms, surrounded by the Met’s own collection of European paintings of the period. The exhibition is on view May 31 – November 5, 2000.

The Annenberg Collection encompasses figure painting, landscape, and still life. It celebrates the many facets of avant-garde painting in France, dating back more than one hundred years. The artists whose works are featured in the Annenberg Collection represent the luminaries of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements: Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Henri Fantin-Latour, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Georges Seurat, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, and Vincent van Gogh. Earlier works by Camille Corot and Eugene Boudin, and later works by Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and George Braque complete the selection.

The Annenberg Collection will eventually will enter the Metropolitan’s collection of European paintings. Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum, said, “For six months out of each year, this extraordinary loan significantly enriches and expands the breadth of the Museum’s collections in both beauty and importance. I can only express my gratitude to the Annenbergs for their willingness to part annually with their collection, gathered over a period of 40 years, for the sole benefit of making these works accessible to the public.”

Museum hours are Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.; Sunday, Tuesday through Thursday 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.; The museum is closed on Monday. Suggested Admission: $10 adults, $5 students and seniors. For more information call (212) 535-7710 or visit www.metmuseum.org.