Cézanne: In and Out of Time (November 11, 2020–February 28, 2021) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), places 12 paintings by Paul Cézanne (French, 1839–1906)—five from the MFA’s collection and seven from private collections—in dialogue with eight works by his peers and forebears, highlighting aspects of the artist’s practice that have captivated viewers since his lifetime.
Cézanne’s work rewards careful looking, much like the methodical manner required to make it. In the exhibition’s three sections, Landscape, Still Life and Portraits, Cézanne’s paintings appear alongside works by Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Edouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jean‑François Millet and Henri Fantin‑Latour. Each grouping examines the artists’ differing approaches to capturing light, perspective, depth, space and time.
Exhibition highlights include:
- Still Life with Peaches and Pears (about 1885–87), showing a bowl of fruit viewed from above and a nearby pear seen from the side, capturing two perspectives at once.
- The distinctly modern Madame Cézanne in a Red Armchair (about 1877), appearing at once intimate and distant with its compressed view and its subject’s blank expression.
- The landscape Turn in the Road (about 1881), depicting a complex arrangement of shapes and spaces that challenges viewers’ perceptions.
- Six Cézanne paintings on loan from private collections are on view at the MFA for the first time, including Nature morte de pêches et poires (Still life with Peaches and Pears) (about 1885-87), La Côte Saint-Denis à Pontoise (La Côte Saint Denis, Pontoise) (about 1877) and Vue sur l'Estaque et le château d'If (View of l'Estaque and château d'If) (about 1883-85).
Basket of Fruit, about 1864 by Edouard Manet (French, 1832–1883) Oil on canvas. Bequest of John T. Spaulding. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
The Pond, about 1877–79, by Paul Cézanne (French, 1839–1906) Oil on canvas. Tompkins Collection—Arthur Gordon Tompkins Fund. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
At the Races in the Countryside, 1869, Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Oil on canvas. 1931 Purchase Fund. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Fruit and a Jug on a Table, about 1890–94, by Paul Cézanne (French, 1839–1906) Oil on canvas. Bequest of John T. Spaulding. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Mixed Flowers in an Earthenware Pot, about 1869, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841–1919). Oil on paperboard mounted on canvas. Bequest of John T. Spaulding. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Turn in the Road, about 1881, by Paul Cézanne (French, 1839–1906). Oil on canvas. Bequest of John T. Spaulding. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Sunlight on the Road, Pontoise, 1874, by Camille Pissarro (French (born in the Danish West Indies), (1830–1903). Oil on canvas. Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection. Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
