NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART TO ACQUIRE FOUR PROMISED PAINTINGS FROM PRIVATE COLLECTION

LAWRENCE J WHEELER, DIRECTOR, NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART, RALEIGH, NC, RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A PROMISED GIFT TO THE MUSEUM FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOSIE AND JULIAN ROBERTSON, OF NEW YORK. THE GIFT INCLUDES FOUR STUNNING PAINTINGS BY IMPORTANT EUROPEAN IMPRESSIONIST AND MODERN ARTISTS. IN ADDITION TO PICASSO'S 'SEATED WOMAN, RED AND YELLOW BACKGROUND', THEY ARE 'THE BRIDGE AT MORET ON AN APRIL MORNING', BY ALFRED SISLEY, 'THE BRIDGE AT POISSY', BY MAURICE DE VLAMINCK, AND 'FISHING BOAT' BY EMIL NOLDE. THE FIRST OF THE PROMISED WORKS TO BE ON PUBLIC VIEW WILL BE PICASSO'S SUPERB PORTRAIT OF HIS LOVER FRANCOISE GILOT, WHICH WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE MUSEUM'S NEW BUILDING WHEN IT OPENS ON 24.APRIL. PICASSO'S VISUALLY COMPLEX, EXPRESSIVE PORTRAIT OF GILOT WAS PAINTED AT THE END OF THEIR TURBULENT RELATIONSHIP. GILOT SITS IN A STUDIO CHAIR, HAND CRADLING HER CHIN, EYES WANDERING. BUT WITHIN THE RECTANGLE OF THE PAINTING, SHE REMAINS VERY MUCH PICASSO'S SUBJECT, THE PRETEXT FOR A VIRTUOSIC PERFORMANCE OF THE ARTIST'S COMPOSITIONAL AND TECHNICAL BRILLIANCE. 'WHILE THE NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART IS KNOWN FOR ITS STRONG GROUP OF MODERN GERMAN PAINTINGS, IT NEVER HAD COMPARABLE SCHOOL OF PARIS WORKS', NOTES JOHN COFFEY, THE MUSEUM'S DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR ART. 'THE PROMISED GIFT OF THESE WONDERFUL PICTURES ENSURES THAT THE MUSEUM WILL HAVE A SOLID REPRESENTATION OF FRENCH MODERNISTS, INCLUDING THE EXCEPTIONALLY VIVID PORTRAIT BY PICASSO, THE FIRST WORK BY THIS ARTIST TO ENTER THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION.'