University of Florida’s Harn Museum of Art will present the exhibition, “French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950,” starting on Tuesday, Aug. 5.
The international traveling exhibition will be on display during the Harn’s 35th anniversary and will feature more than 55 paintings, drawings and sculptures from the Brooklyn Museum’s collection of European art. The free exhibition will run from Aug. 5 through Jan. 4, 2026.
The Harn Museum, located at 3259 Hull Rd. in Gainesville, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
“Touring since 2017 to venues in Italy, South Korea, Canada and the United States, the Harn is grateful to our generous donors who have made it possible to bring these masterpieces to the Harn for visitors to enjoy free of charge,” said Dr. Lee Anne Chesterfield, Harn Museum of Art Director, in a press release. “We are also excited to have added to the exhibition, the Harn’s very own work by Monet, Champ d’avoine (Oat Field), celebrating the growth of our collection and 35 years of art-centered experiences.”
The works of art in French Moderns, organized by the Brooklyn Museum, span the era between the Revolution of 1848 and the conclusion of World War II—a period marked by significant social, intellectual and political upheaval in France. This era saw the emergence of avant-garde artistic movements including Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism and Surrealism, which left a lasting impact on the Western artistic tradition. The exhibition will feature the era’s leading artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Gustave Caillebotte, Paul Cézanne, Marc Chagall, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Gabriele Münter, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Auguste Rodin and others.
“French Moderns offers remarkable examples of European art and is the most significant exhibition of French modern art to travel to Gainesville,” said Dulce Román, Chief Curator and Curator of Modern Art at the Harn Museum of Art, in the press release. “I am delighted that we are able to bring a portion of the Brooklyn Museum’s exceptional collection to the Gainesville community, University of Florida, surrounding areas, and tourists to explore and appreciate.”
Other Harn Museum programs that are free and open to the public include:
HESCAH (The Harn Eminent Scholar Chair in Art History) Talk
Thursday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m.
“The Air of Modernity: Edgar Degas’ Ironers Ecocritically”
Speaker: Marni Kessler, Professor of Art History, University of Kansas, Kress Foundation Department of Art History
Curator Talk
Sunday, Sept. 14, 3 p.m.
Chief Curator and Curator of Modern Art, Dulce Román, will discuss the works on view in the exhibition.
Art After Dark
Art After Dark provides extended hours until 9 pm for visitors to explore the exhibition. Generous support is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program and a private grant. In addition to extended hours, the Harn offers activities, entertainment and refreshments on select evenings, which include the following:
Museum Nights
Thursdays: Aug. 14 and Nov. 13
6 – 9 p.m.
The Harn will offer art activities, tours, performances and more in connection with the exhibition.
Wine Down
Thursdays: Aug. 28, Sept. 25, Oct. 30 (Wine Down is held the last Thursday of each month. It will not be held Nov. 27 and Dec. 25.)
6 – 9 p.m.
Museum goers can mingle in the exhibition while enjoying musical entertainment, lite bites, wine and beer on the last Thursday of each month during the exhibition.