Renoir Exhibit Reaches MFA

As part of the opening ceremonies of "Renoir," the superstar new exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), the artist's grandson, Paul Renoir, came to view his relative's work. According to museum officials, Renoir walked through the exhibit and met with curators.

"He seemed happy," said Christopher Bowden, publicity director for the exhibit, of Renoir's October 1 visit. He added that he saw a physical resemblance between Pierre-Auguste and his grandson.

However, Renoir is only one of the estimated 453,000 visitors whom MFA officials expect to flood the exhibit during its three-month showing.

The 97-painting retrospective exhibit of the nineteenth-century Impressionist drew record crowds in London and Paris, where it stayed for four and five months, respectively. In Paris, Renoir drew crowds averaging 8,668 visitors per day. In London, it surpassed the attendance record of the Hayward Gallery's most popular previous exhibit, "Picasso's Picassos," by more than 100,000 visitors.

Boston will be the only American showing of the exhibit. Already, over 138,000 tickets have been sold.

According to MFA press material, the most popular exhibit to come to the Museum to date was "Pompeii, A.D. 79," which attracted 432,000 visitors in 1978.

The paintings in this exhibit were garnered from 38 museums and 19 private collections, according to the exhibit's organizers. The most generous lenders include Paris' Musee d'Orsay (Galerie du Jeu de Paume), which offered 10, and the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., which offered seven. The MFA has also contributed seven works, including "Flowers in a Vase" and "Dance at Bougival."

Harvard's Fogg Museum lent one of its most important Renoirs, "Seated Bather," to the exhibit. According to Carrie Jones, the Fogg's assistant director for curatorial affairs, the Museum was reluctant to lend such an important piece during their own remodeling. But, she added, "it was very important for them to have a large late period Renoir."

"People enjoy his [Renoir's] work because it portrays the pleasures of life without delving into their troubles," said Jones. "Ultimately, we felt the exhibit is an important one."

According to Director of Publicity Linda Patch, the 97 paintings "represent what the selection committee felt to be the best works of his career."

Renoir, one of the most popular Impressionists, is known for his bright colors and soft, blurred-brush technique. The MFA has put Renoir's paintings under natural light, in the tradition of the Impressionists, who often worked on their paintings outdoors.

Renoir, born in 1841 in Limoges, France, moved to Paris in 1861, where his collaboration with artists like Sisley and Monet led to the founding of the Impressionist movement.

Renoir's work was exhibited in the first Impressionist show in Paris in 1874; his 1904 retrospective exhibit is generally considered to have solidified his reputation as a painter.

This 1985 exhibit is, according to Patch, "a show to reevaluate his stature as a painter." She added that some of the paintings are reunited for the first time in nearly a century.

In expectation of the coming crowds, the MFA will staff a few extra security officials in the exhibit area, several of whom will work only that exhibit, said security guard Arthur T. Lodge.

Lodge, a painter himself, said that the Museum tries to have guards on duty who are knowledgeable about art. He said that he admired the exhibit because it portrayed Renoir's career from beginning to end (1860's to 1919), and it showed how his style changed as he associated with Cezanne, Monet, and later artist friends.

The exhibit unveils officially at MFA on Wednesday, October 9. Regardless of popular demand, the museum has no plans to extend the exhibit beyond January 5, 1986. Tickets are $5 and are available at the Museum.