Henri Rousseau. Scouts Attacked by a Tiger (detail), 1904. The Barnes Foundation, BF584. Public Domain.
About the Exhibition
“An expansive, enchanting survey that highlights the artist’s magic and sophistication alike.” —The Wall Street Journal
“A must-see . . . The exhibition offers what many exhibitions promise but do not always deliver—an engrossing new take on an artist we thought we knew.” —Art & Object
A once-in-a-generation exhibition. A visionary artist revealed.
Step into the lush, hypnotic world of Henri Rousseau, one of the boldest forces in modern art.
Born in 1844, and with no formal art training, Rousseau defied the odds to become a cult figure to avant-garde legends such as Pablo Picasso. His paintings—dreamlike, symbolic, and deeply strange—range from imaginative visions of the jungle to portraits that capture his neighbors and loved ones.
Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets is the first major US exhibition in decades dedicated to this pioneering French painter. Featuring nearly 60 works—including world-famous highlights like The Sleeping Gypsy, The Snake Charmer, and Unpleasant Surprise—the exhibition invites you to see Rousseau in a whole new light.
Don’t miss this world-premiere exhibition that unveils new research discoveries—including hidden layers beneath some of Rousseau’s celebrated paintings—and brings together, for the first time, the two most important Rousseau collections in the world, those of the Barnes Foundation and the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris.
Highlights
This trio of iconic paintings—never seen together before—anchors a sweeping exhibition that explores the enigma of Rousseau and uncovers secrets about his work, his life, and his relationship with the art world.
The Snake Charmer, 1907. Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Image © Musée d’Orsay, dist. GrandPalaisRmn / Patrice Schmidt
The Sleeping Gypsy, 1897. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Mrs. Simon Guggenheim, 1939. Image © The Museum of Modern Art / Licensed by Scala / Art Resource, New York
Henri Rousseau. Unpleasant Surprise, 1901. The Barnes Foundation, BF281. Public Domain.
Exhibition Organization
Developed in partnership with the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris, Henri Rousseau: A Painter's Secrets is curated by Christopher Green, consulting curator, Professor Emeritus at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, and Nancy Ireson, Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions & Gund Family Chief Curator at the Barnes, with the support of Juliette Degennes, curator at the Musée de l’Orangerie.
Catalogue
Henri Rousseau: A Painter’s Secrets
This publication offers a comprehensive study of the 18 Rousseaus in the Barnes collection and places them in dialogue with works from around the globe, including those housed at the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris. Working closely with Barnes conservation staff, curators Christopher Green and Nancy Ireson consider Rousseau’s novel artistic practice, explore his process of adapting works to new purposes, and examine how Rousseau navigated the art world. Hardcover; 336 pages
Sponsors
Henri Rousseau: A Painter's Secrets at the Barnes is sponsored by:
Key support is provided by Gwendolyn M. Asplundh, The Family of Laura Buck, and Marlene and Brian Dooner. Additional support is provided by Julie Jensen Bryan and Robert* Bryan; The Dean Family; Dietz & Watson; James Fernberger and Mary Walto; Mindy and Thaddeus Fortin; Meghan and Anthony Fotopoulos; Amy Fox and Daniel Wheeler; Deborah E. Glass; Margaret Hallenbeck; Margaret Harris and Phil Straus; Penelope P. Harris; James and Pam Hill; LAGOS; Judy and Leonard* Lauder; Robert Lehman Foundation; The Lowe, Bernbaum and Weinstein Families; Barbara A. Podell and Mark G. Singer; Stephanie Simmerman; Smukler Lasch Charitable Trust; Josephine and Sam Switzenbaum; Harriet and Larry Weiss; Kristin and Tobias Welo; and other generous individuals.
Ongoing funding for exhibitions comes from the Christine and Michael Angelakis Exhibition Fund, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, Lois and Julian Brodsky Exhibition Fund, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr. Exhibition Fund, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Christine and George Henisee Exhibition Fund, Aileen and Brian Roberts Exhibition Fund, and Tom and Margaret Lehr Whitford Exhibition Fund.
Lead support for the exhibition publication is provided by the Richard C. von Hess Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Lois and Julian Brodsky Publications Fund, Joan Garde, and Tom and Margaret Lehr Whitford.
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
In addition, funding for all exhibitions comes from contributors to the Barnes Foundation Exhibition Fund:
Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Joan Carter and John Aglialoro, Julia and David Fleischner, Victoria McNeil Le Vine, Leigh and John Middleton, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer, Aileen and Brian Roberts
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Lois and Julian Brodsky, N. Judith Broudy, Emily and Michael Cavanagh, Marianne N. Dean, Eugene and Michelle Dubay, Penelope P. Harris, Jones & Wajahat Family, Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden, Victor F. Keen and Jeanne Ruddy, Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Cathy and Henry Nassau, The Park Family, Wendy and Mark Rayfield, Anne and Bruce Robinson, Adele K. Schaeffer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Donna and Jerry Slipakoff, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Joan F. Thalheimer, Bruce and Robbi Toll, van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Kirsten White, and Randi Zemsky and Bob Lane.
*posthumous recognition