The Collection of Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass

Through May 24, 2015, the Kimbell Art Museum is featuring a special exhibition, The Collection of Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass.  An influential family in Fort Worth, the Bass family, is graciously sharing their private collection.  Works by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Miró, Chagall, Rothko, Rodin and Maillol normally inaccessible to the general public, are on view, for FREE.

This collection has so many masterpieces that it is hard for me to pick favorites. However, there are a few pieces in particular that need mention.

I think the stars of the show are two pieces by Vincent Van Gogh, Street in Saintes-Marie’s-de-la-Mer and Enclosed Field with Ploughman. Displayed side-by-side, look for the drastic change in style that occurred between the two paintings, created only one year apart.

The Renzo Piano Pavilion

I love Claude Monet’s work. The Bass’ piece by Monet, The Gare Saint-Lazare, Exterior View, does not disappoint. The steam engine and train had just been invented, radically altering life in Paris. Monet captures these changes in his series of paintings of trains and train stations across the city.

I was looking forward to the Marc Chagall painting. At first glance, Vase of Flowers and Figures looks like an ordinary still life with a giant bouquet of flowers overflowing its vase. The still life disappointed me at first, as I was hoping for a fanciful piece, like his other works I have seen. However, upon closer look, there is a figure spilling out from the bouquet. Maybe everything is not so ordinary. Then, two more figures, perhaps a mother and her daughter, come into focus. Find them in the bottom left corner, resting on a couch. Finally, a pair of figures painted blue, lovers kissing behind the couch and next to the vase, appear from the blue shadows. What exactly is going on? Chagall leaves the viewer to interpret the story.
Next to this painting, I find Landscape by Maurice De Vlaminck striking. I did not recognize this French artist. I love this aspect of art. Start with what you know and enjoy already;at the same time, you will find a piece of art equally lovely from an artist you have never heard of before.

Eternal Spring by Rodin – Courtesy of Wikimedia.org

The Bass collection includes great sculpture pieces. Begin with two bronze castings by Rodin, The Kiss and Eternal Spring. Next enjoy Bather with Raised Arms and Spring (without Head and Arms). This second set of bronze castings by another great French sculptor Aristide Maillol, complement the Kimbell’s own Air in the permanent collection.

Air by Aristide Maillol

In sharp contrast to these French sculptors, two Frederic Remington sculptures complete the collection. I love that Nancy and Perry Bass are Texans: they may own some of the best Impressionist and Post-impressionist masterpieces from Europe, however, they also own two bronze statues of galloping horses and wild cowboys, Bronco Buster and Coming Through the Rye. The second sculpture depicts four cowboys galloping their horses, six-shooters waving in the air. I love how thin Remington made the bronze reigns coming from the horse’s bits. While quite large, all of the mass is elegantly supported on six hoofs. Total. One horse with all four hoofs in the air is not connected to the ground. All of its weight is supported by the adjacent horse and rider. Amazing!

Coming Through the Rye by Frederic Remington – Courtesy of Wikimedia.org

The Collection of Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass is on display in the Renzo Piano Pavilion. The Kimbell offers guided tours of the special exhibition throughout the week. I highly recommend a tour if possible, as docents bring the collection to life with personal insight.

Photography is not permitted in the special exhibition. No images of these paintings were found online, so in order to see them, you have to visit the Kimbell by May 24^th.

Free garage parking is conveniently located under the lawn separating the buildings.  Please note, the Kimbell Art Museum is closed on Mondays and some holidays, so plan your trip accordingly.

For more information on the Kimbell and its permanent collection, see our overview of the Kimbell Art Museum.