A Lighter Touch – 19th and 20th century European Art

A Lighter Touch – 19th and 20th century European Art

Exhibition Details

'There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it' - Edith Wharton

The publication of Charles Baudelaire's essay on the aesthetics of modernity, Le Peintre de la vie moderne (Painters of Modern Life) 1863, helped to define the revolution that was taking place in France. Rather than the historical, biblical, mythic and allegorical themes revered by Academicians, Baudelaire called on artists to celebrate everyday life with equal seriousness. Scenes that reflected the street and café life of Paris; the mill of the crowd; the glitter of the circus, alongside the mundane but essential activities of France's working and rural communities became the focus, very different from dying heroes and maidens threatened by mythical monsters.

This 'lighter' approach to subject matter was matched by the remarkable change witnessed in technique in all forms of art. The Impressionists and Pointillists experimented with the application of paint, exploring the way in which light affects colour, while Post-Impressionists and the Fauves developed a non-naturalistic palette. In the new century, Picasso and Braque introduced radical means of interpreting line and form. A lighter touch-19th and 20th century European Art contains favourites from the period, giving us the opportunity to view them once more before the redevelopment of the Gallery begins.

Mary Kisler
Mackelvie Curator, International Art

Date
Curated by
Mary Kisler
Location
New Gallery
Cost
Free entry

Related Artworks

View Artwork

On display

Torse noir assis
Torse noir assis

Alexander Archipenko

On display

Production date
1909
Medium
bronze
Size (h x w)
375 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1948
Accession no
M1948/1
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Not on display

Gondolier
Gondolier

Alexander Archipenko

Production date
1914
Medium
bronze
Size (h x w)
838 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1964
Accession no
M1964/1
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Not on display

Portrait of Pierre de Ronsard
Portrait of Pierre de Ronsard

Salvador Dalí

Production date
1968
Medium
etching with drypoint
Size (h x w)
385 x 280 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 2004
Accession no
2004/31/1
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Not on display

Still Life with Guitar, Bottle of Bass and Fruit
Still Life with Guitar, Bottle of Bass and Fruit

Henri Hayden

Production date
1918
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
813 x 533 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1958
Accession no
1958/1
View Artwork

Not on display

Shell-Fish, Zither and Ace of Hearts
Shell-Fish, Zither and Ace of Hearts

Louis Marcoussis

Production date
1928
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
654 x 997 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1966
Accession no
1966/1
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Not on display

Head of a Woman (Tête de femme)
Head of a Woman (Tête de femme)

Pablo Picasso

Production date
1905
Medium
drypoint
Size (h x w)
291 x 242 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1956
Accession no
1956/31/3
View Artwork

On display

Verre et Pichet (Glass and Pitcher)
Verre et Pichet (Glass and Pitcher)

Pablo Picasso

On display

Production date
24 Jul 1944
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
330 x 413 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, on loan from the Thanksgiving Foundation, 1999
Accession no
L1999/15
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Not on display

The Drinkers (Two Catalan Fishermen) or. La Taberna, Jeune Pêcheur Catalan Racontant sa Vie à un Vieux Pêcheur Barbu (The Tavern. A Young Catalan Fisherman Sharing Stories with an Old Bearded Fisherman).
The Drinkers (Two Catalan Fishermen) or. La Taberna, Jeune Pêcheur Catalan Racon...

Pablo Picasso

Production date
29 Nov 1934
Medium
etching
Size (h x w)
668 x 773 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1985
Accession no
M1985/30
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Not on display

Vanessa Bell Pregnant
Vanessa Bell Pregnant

Duncan Grant

Production date
1918
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
660 x 583 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased with the assistance of the National Art Collection Fund, 1992. Frame sponsored by the Portrait Group.
Accession no
M1992/26
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Not on display

Landscape of Bleached Objects
Landscape of Bleached Objects

Paul Nash

Production date
circa 1934
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
620 x 747 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1994
Accession no
M1994/7
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Not on display

Landscape with Woman and Children
Landscape with Woman and Children

Philip Connard

Production date
Unknown
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
725 x 830 x 65 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Accession no
MU/32
View Artwork

Not on display

Boy with vine leaves
Boy with vine leaves

Henry La Thangue

Production date
Unknown
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
638 x 717 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Bequest of Mrs Kate La Thangue, 1942
Accession no
1942/4
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Not on display

Mother and Child
Mother and Child

Harold Gilman

Production date
1918
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
698 x 507 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1952. Frame sponsored by Graham Mitchell.
Accession no
1952/2/1
View Artwork

Not on display

Head of a Girl
Head of a Girl

Henry Moore

Production date
1923
Medium
bronze
Size (h x w)
171 x 115 x 124 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1956
Accession no
1956/23/1
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Not on display

Idiot: Self Portrait
Idiot: Self Portrait

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska

Production date
1912
Medium
bronze
Size (h x w)
178 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1956
Accession no
1956/33
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Not on display

Plate from Hesiod's "Theogony"
Plate from Hesiod's "Theogony"

Georges Braque

Production date
1932
Medium
etching
Size (h x w)
305 x 225 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1957
Accession no
1957/6/4
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Not on display

La ferme (The Farm)
La ferme (The Farm)

Roderic O'Conor

Production date
circa 1892
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
489 x 609 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1958
Accession no
1958/13
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Not on display

Deux Femmes Nues Dans un Arbre
Deux Femmes Nues Dans un Arbre

Pablo Picasso

Production date
1931
Medium
etching
Size (h x w)
365 x 287 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1958
Accession no
1958/14/2
View Artwork

Not on display

Seascape
Seascape

Armand Guillaumin

Production date
Unknown
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
543 x 652 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1959
Accession no
1959/17/1
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Not on display

Baigneuse au collier (Nude with a necklace)
Baigneuse au collier (Nude with a necklace)

Henri Matisse

Production date
1889-1954
Medium
linocut
Size (h x w)
244 x 178 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1961
Accession no
1961/16/2
View Artwork

Not on display

The Well at Mydlow, Poland
The Well at Mydlow, Poland

Robert Bevan

Production date
1909
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
603 x 80 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1961
Accession no
1961/9
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Not on display

Le Port du Pecq (The Port of Pecq)
Le Port du Pecq (The Port of Pecq)

Maurice Denis

Production date
1896
Medium
oil on board
Size (h x w)
477 x 640 x 52 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1963
Accession no
1963/19
View Artwork

Not on display

A Sussex Autumn
A Sussex Autumn

Henry La Thangue

Production date
1907
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
1208 x 1080 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Frame sponsored by Barbara and Georgina Watson, Wellington.
Accession no
M1907/1
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Not on display

The Bathing pool
The Bathing pool

Laura Knight

Production date
1918
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
748 x 873 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Accession no
M1921/1/13
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Not on display

Study for a family group
Study for a family group

Henry Moore

Production date
1945
Medium
bronze
Size (h x w)
165 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki purchased 1948
Accession no
M1948/5
View Artwork

Not on display

Dancer putting on her stocking (Femme Mettant Son Bas)
Dancer putting on her stocking (Femme Mettant Son Bas)

Edgar Degas

Production date
1896-1911
Medium
bronze
Size (h x w)
476 x 160 x 290 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1956
Accession no
1956/29
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Not on display

Baccarat, Dieppe
Baccarat, Dieppe

Walter Sickert

Production date
1920
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
520 x 420 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Mr Odo Cross, 1965
Accession no
1965/3
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Not on display

White Clematis
White Clematis

Harold Knight

Production date
circa 1910
Medium
oil on canvas
Size (h x w)
609 x 508 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1912
Accession no
1912/1
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Not on display

Picasso's Meninas
Picasso's Meninas

Richard Hamilton

Production date
1973
Medium
mixed media print
Size (h x w)
572 x 492 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1978
Accession no
1978/42
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Not on display

9 Bandeaux (9 bands) [1]
9 Bandeaux (9 bands) [1]

Henri Matisse

Production date
1944 {executed}
Medium
linogravures
Size (h x w)
325 x 250 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Lesley Ryan in memory of her parents, Marie Porteous Ryan and W J Leslie Ryan, 2004
Accession no
2004/13/1
View Artwork

Not on display

9 Bandeaux (9 bands) [2]
9 Bandeaux (9 bands) [2]

Henri Matisse

Production date
1944 {executed}
Medium
linogravures
Size (h x w)
325 x 250 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Lesley Ryan in memory of her parents, Marie Porteous Ryan and W J Leslie Ryan, 2004
Accession no
2004/13/2
View Artwork

Not on display

11 bandeaux (11 bands)
11 bandeaux (11 bands)

Henri Matisse

Production date
1944 {executed}
Medium
linogravures
Size (h x w)
325 x 250 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Lesley Ryan in memory of her parents, Marie Porteous Ryan and W J Leslie Ryan, 2004
Accession no
2004/13/3
View Artwork

Not on display

8 bandeaux (8 bands)
8 bandeaux (8 bands)

Henri Matisse

Production date
1944 {executed}
Medium
linogravures
Size (h x w)
325 x 250 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Lesley Ryan in memory of her parents, Marie Porteous Ryan and W J Leslie Ryan, 2004
Accession no
2004/13/4
View Artwork

Not on display

33 lettrines (33 letters)
33 lettrines (33 letters)

Henri Matisse

Production date
1944 {executed}
Medium
linogravures
Size (h x w)
325 x 250 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Lesley Ryan in memory of her parents, Marie Porteous Ryan and W J Leslie Ryan, 2004
Accession no
2004/13/5
View Artwork

Not on display

L'Escalier (The Staircase)
L'Escalier (The Staircase)

Louis Marcoussis

Production date
1931
Medium
etching
Size (h x w)
174 x 135 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1972
Accession no
1972/12
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Not on display

Planches de Salut (Long planks to salvation)
Planches de Salut (Long planks to salvation)

Louis Marcoussis

Production date
1931
Medium
etching
Size (h x w)
200 x 236 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1973
Accession no
1973/26
View Artwork

Not on display

Cyclisme (Cycling)
Cyclisme (Cycling)

Gino Severini

Production date
circa 1956
Medium
colour lithograph
Size (h x w)
387 x 559 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1959
Accession no
1959/2/8
View Artwork

Not on display

Still Life
Still Life

Gino Severini

Production date
circa 1915
Medium
lithograph
Size (h x w)
387 x 565 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1962
Accession no
1962/14/2
View Artwork

Not on display

Scene D'interieur
Scene D'interieur

Pablo Picasso

Production date
1926
Medium
lithograph
Size (h x w)
374 x 529 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1956
Accession no
1956/15/7
View Artwork

Not on display

La dame Bleue
La dame Bleue

Massimo Campigli

Production date
1962
Medium
lithograph
Size (h x w)
432 x 546 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1964
Accession no
1964/4/3
View Artwork

Not on display

Messagers du jour (Daily messengers)
Messagers du jour (Daily messengers)

Ossip Zadkine

Production date
Unknown
Medium
lithograph
Size (h x w)
578 x 457 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1964
Accession no
1964/4/11
View Artwork

Not on display

Femme a la Guitare
Femme a la Guitare

Ossip Zadkine

Production date
Unknown
Medium
colour etching
Size (h x w)
533 x 400 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1964
Accession no
1964/4/12
View Artwork

Not on display

Pear and Rose
Pear and Rose

René Magritte

Production date
1967
Medium
etching and aquatint
Size (h x w)
159 x 108 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1971
Accession no
1971/9/3
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Not on display

L'Oiseau Bleu (The Blue Bird)
L'Oiseau Bleu (The Blue Bird)

Max Ernst

Production date
1967
Medium
etching in three colours
Size (h x w)
457 x 324 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1972
Accession no
1972/13
View Artwork

Not on display

La Belle Italienne (beautiful Italian girl)
La Belle Italienne (beautiful Italian girl)

Andre Masson

Production date
1974
Medium
lithograph
Size (h x w)
755 x 552 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1976
Accession no
1976/18
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Not on display

Le Styx
Le Styx

Joán Miró

Production date
1958
Medium
etching and aquatint
Size (h x w)
175 x 235 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, purchased 1976
Accession no
1976/39
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Not on display

Femme à la cruche (Woman with a Jug)
Femme à la cruche (Woman with a Jug)

Jacques Villon Fernand Léger

Production date
1928
Medium
aquatint
Size (h x w)
813 x 614 mm
Credit line
Mackelvie Trust Collection, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Accession no
M1990/24