From New York to Brisbane, 65 European masterpieces will make the once-in-a-lifetime voyage.
At a time when the return of international travel is still up in the air, the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Titian, Cézanne and Rubens (to name just a handful) have booked their tickets and will be landing at Queensland’s Gallery of Modern Art on June 12, 2021.
We know. These kinds of not-to-be-missed exhibitions usually turn up in Melbourne first, and sometimes Sydney. But hey, these are strange times so we’re just going to celebrate Brisbane’s achievement because we’ll sooner be able to fly to Brisbane than New York.
Beginning in the 1420s with Fra Angelico’s The Crucifixion and finishing with one of Monet’s Water Lillies from 1909, visitors to QAGOMA next year will be treated to portraitures, still-lifes, landscapes, and figure studies from artists who have either revolutionised the art world or changed the way we see the world itself.
From the patronage by the Church and State to the creation of the independent artist, the European Masterpieces collection will trace the development of Western art over the past five centuries. Not only will the exhibition go a long way in explaining the importance and significance behind the works (i.e. how they challenged preconceived ideas and opinions) but it will also speak volumes about Western culture and society, and religion and faith throughout history.
If you have any interest in symbolism, mythology, iconography and the idea of beauty, then this is the exhibition for you to lose yourself in.
But even if you don’t have much of an art history background, the exhibition, according to Max Hollein, Director of The Met, will be accompanied by programs, workshops, talks and a major publication so that every visitor, young and old, can take something away from this masterful experience.
Exclusive to Brisbane, this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And since this will be the only tour that The Met conducts in 2021, this is also a huge coup for Queensland and Australia with most of the artworks unlikely to ever return Down Under ever again.
If you’re starting to feel the itch of an interstate trip, then check out the Secret Brisbane Guide To South Bank to find out all the other sweet activities Brissy has to offer locals and travellers in their cultural precinct.
European Masterpieces From The Metropolitan Museum Of Art will be on display at Queensland’s Gallery Of Modern Art from June 12 to October 17.
Tickets are now on sale.
(Featured image: lifethroughsarahslens)