A Great Impression: Impressionist Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

If there is one talent I wish I possessed, it’s painting. When I walk around an art gallery or museum, no matter how much I enjoy the pieces, I always leave just a little bit sad. Sad because no matter how much I try all of my paintings look like someone covered in paint stumbled into a canvas! That doesn’t stop me from seeking out beautiful art, of course, and the French Impressionists are among my favorites. On a 2009 trip to the Art Institute of Chicago I saw a collection of van Gogh’s famous “Hay Stack” series and I became a convert. The open composition and the intense study of the qualities of light were appealing and approachable, and I’ve been hooked ever since, seeking out Impressionist exhibits in every city I visit; my recent trip to Paris and the Musée d’Orsay, and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, have only whetted my appetite to know more about these artists and their work. Luckily for me the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has decided to deliver 50 works of great masters–Impressionist and post-Impressionist– practically to my doorstep.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston has landed an exciting visiting exhibition of 19th and 20th century impressionist art. From 20 February through 23 May the museum will display 50 French Impressionist paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Houston is the only U.S. city to exhibit these paintings while the renovations are being completed in D.C.

Among the artists on display at MFAH are: Monet, Cassatt, Cezanne, Degas, van Gogh, Manet, Renoir, Seurat, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The museum is also offering special ticket/accommodation deals for those booking online.

Tickets for this exhibit can be purchased online through the MFAH website and include the general admission price. Adult tickets are $20; children, students, and senior adult tickets are $15. Museum members are eligible for complimentary tickets; prices are contingent on membership levels. On Thursdays the MFAH offers free general admission, and as such admission to the Impressionist exhibit is discounted as well ($15/$10). Premium tickets are also available for members and non-members; premium tickets allow one untimed/undated admission to the exhibit. Premium tickets cost $25 for non-members and $12.50 for members.

The visiting exhibit from the National Gallery of Art will be showing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in the Audrey Jones Beck Building at 5601 Main St. (map). The museum is open Tuesday & Wednesday from 10 AM – 5 PM, Thursday from 10 AM – 9 PM, Friday & Saturday from 10 AM – 7 PM and Sunday from 12:15 PM – 7 PM.

Image credit: Image of Monet’s “Der Rosenweg in Giverny”, Mefusbren69.