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Thursday, January 23, 2025

From Cézanne to Van Gogh: The Legacy of Lillie P. Bliss -- Virtual Programs

 


MoMA

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“Fruits…love to have their portraits painted. They sit there and apologize for changing color.” —Paul Cézanne

This poetic observation reflects Cézanne’s lifelong pursuit: to capture the sensations of life through line and color. Even familiar subjects like apples are transformed by Cézanne’s innovative techniques, which changed painting forever and helped lay the groundwork for the modern art movements of the early 20th century.

Modern art got a mixed reception when it arrived in the US, but one woman’s foresight and fierce support of artists like Cézanne helped open more eyes to these new ways of seeing: “They have something to say worth saying and claim…the freedom to express it in their own way,” Lillie P. Bliss declared.

Bliss’s vision and dedication led her to become one of MoMA’s founders, and her generosity helped to secure a permanent home for Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night, among many others. Now’s your chance to see some of these masterworks in one room, in the exhibition Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern.

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Now every week!

UNIQLO Friday Nights

5:30–8:30 p.m.

MoMA is the best place to hang out and see art on Friday nights. Bring your friends—New York State residents get free admission—and enjoy all our exhibitions, shopping, dining, and more. Kick off the weekend with us!

→ See art after dark

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A Cigarette, a Tube of Paint, a Glass of Wine


Who is Anna Zborowska? Get to know the woman who had a front-row seat to Amedeo Modigliani’s art—and sat for this nearly life-sized portrait, later owned by Lillie P. Bliss.

→ Take a seat

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Henri Matisse’s Interior with a Violin Case


Take a close look at the first Matisse painting bought by Lillie P. Bliss, which displays the artist’s fusion of color, light, sea, and music.

→ Enjoy the view

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To Save and Project 2025

Through Jan 30

Our annual International Festival of Film Preservation continues with a rich selection of newly restored treasures from archives around the world, including the original 1918 version of Charlie Chaplin’s Shoulder Arms.

→ Get reel

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Member Previews

Pirouette: Turning Points in Design

Jan 24–25

Be the first to see this wide-ranging exhibition featuring objects—from the Post-it Note to Spanx—that have changed the world.

→ Become a member

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MoMA Design Store

Valentine’s Day gift guide


Find the perfect Valentine gifts for your partner, family, BFF, and all the ones you love.

→ Shop

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© 2025 The Museum of Modern Art

Images, from top: Paul Cézanne. Still Life with Apples. 1895–98. Oil on canvas. Lillie P. Bliss Collection. Photo: Alycia Kravitz; Andy Warhol. Untitled from Flowers. 1970. Six from a portfolio of 10 screenprints. Factory Additions, New York. Aetna Silkscreen Products, Inc., New York and, Du-Art Displays, New York. Edition: 250. Gift of David Whitney. © 2025 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Alycia Kravitz; Amedeo Modigliani. Anna Zborowska (detail). 1917. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Lillie P. Bliss Collection; Henri Matisse. Interior with a Violin Case (detail). Nice, winter 1918–19. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Lillie P. Bliss Collection. © 2025 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Shoulder Arms. 1918. USA. Directed by Charles Chaplin. The Museum of Modern Art Film Stills Archive; Ed Hawkins. Warming Stripes 1850–2023 (detail). 2018-ongoing. © Ed Hawkins