Art Institute of Chicago: "Cezanne to Picasso"

Visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago this spring have the opportunity to see some of the world's great art in the exhibit called " Cezanne to Picasso" The exhibition is devoted to Henri-Louis-Ambrose Vollard (1866-1939), who was a legendary art dealer, patron and publisher. He launched the careers of some major artists and put modern art on the map. Vollard encouraged many of the artists of the time and heavily influenced the art world.

The collection on exhibit will be on display in at The Art Institute of Chicago until May 12, 2007, in Regenstein Hall. After leaving Chicago the exhibition will be moved to Paris and displayed at Musee d'Orsey, Paris from June 19 to September 16. The exhibition was previously on display at the metropolitan Museum cf Art in New York.

Ambrose Vollard: Vollard was born in 1866 and grew up in a remote French colony. At the age of 21 he traveled to Paris to study law. He stopped studying law and embarked upon a career as an art dealer. He represented artists including Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Picasso and others. Matisse complained that the dealer was a "thief", but other artists were grateful to him for the rescue from obscurity. Following is a brief description of Vollard's relationship with the artist of the day.

Van Gogh: Vollard inaugurated his new gallery in 1895 with an exhibition of Van Gogh's work. Van Gogh, himself, died in 1890, and it is doubtful that he and Vollard ever met. From this exhibition, however, Vollard attracted the notice of Henry Laget, a writer with connections. Through Laget, Vollard was able to procure works by Van Gogh, marketing the artist's work and establishing Van Gogh's reputations as a modern master.

Cezanne: Vollard hosted Cezanne's first solo exhibition in 1895. He displayed Cezanne's work and catapulted him form unknown to master. The relationship between the art dealer and the artist made the dealer wealthy, as Cezanne became one of the world's most influential painters. About two thirds of Cezannes work probably passed through Vollard.