1995: The exhibition Hidden Treasures Revealed

The exhibition of works by French painters of the 19th and early 20th centuries from private collections of Germany was destined to become one of the major events in cultural and artistic life in the late 20th century. The 74 works presented a broad panorama of French painting over more than a hundred years, beginning with Camille Corot's landscape Cliffs (ca 1812) and ending with Henri Matisse's Ballerina (ca 1927). Together with works by mid-19th-century artists - Eugène Delacroix, Honoré Daumier, Gustave Courbet, Henri Fantin-Latour - were displayed those by outstanding artists from the second half of the century - Edouard Manet, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Paul Signac, Georges Seurat and Edouard Vuillard.
The exhibition included Place de la Concorde (Viscount Lepic and his Daughters Crossing the Place de la Concorde) painted by Degas in 1875 and believed lost; a Renoir - In the Garden (1885) - that had never been exhibited before, and one of the last canvases by Vincent Van Gogh -White House by Night (1890). The public was particularly attracted to works from the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Woman with an Umbrella (Berthe the Deaf in the Garden of Monsieur Forest) by Toulouse-Lautrec, Nude with a Raised Arm by Georges Rouault and Absinthe, one of the finest paintings by the young Pablo Picasso.
A catalogue raisonné was produced in several languages for the exhibition (published by Harry N. Abrams Inc. of New York). The catalogue was written by Dr Albert Kostenevich, leading researcher at the museum. The popularity of the exhibition remained undiminished throughout its course (March 1995 - March 1996). A considerable proportion of the many visitors came from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union, as well as Europe, Asia and America.
At the present time some of the exhibits are on display in rooms 143-146 of the Winter Palace.

Burden (The Laundress)
Daumier, Honore
Larger view

Woman with an Umbrella (Berthe the Deaf in the Garden of Monsieur Forest)
Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri de
Larger view

In the Garden
Renoir, Pierre-Auguste
Larger view

Absinthe (Girl in a Cafe)
Picasso, Pablo
Larger view