Plains Art Museum show features Picasso, Chagall, Renoir and more
2 min readStill, when Andy Maus, director and CEO of the Plains Art Museum, says a new exhibit has some “rock stars,” it’s an understatement.
As the names indicate, “From Renoir to Kostabi” doesn’t just have rock stars — it has the monsters of rock. The exhibit includes the titans of the last 140 years in art, featuring Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso and Marc Chagall.
Pablo Picasso’s 1959 linocut print, “Bacchanale au Taureau Noir.” Photo courtesy of Park West Museum / Special to The Forum
“It’s basically a journey through European and American modernism over 100 years,” Maus says. “It’s creativity through the ages.”
The show follows the development of art styles from the late 1800s into the 2000s, from Renoir landscapes to contemporary New York artist Mark Kostabi’s sociopolitical commentary.
While the 59-year-old may not be a household name, his work is in the collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Still, he may be best known for designing Guns N’ Roses “Use Your Illusion” album covers.
Mark Kostabi’s 2008 painting, “At a Glance.” Photo courtesy of Park West Museum / Special to The Forum
The show is a product of Park West Museum in Southfield, Mich., and includes 219 paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramic pieces.
The exhibit was set to travel to St. Petersburg, Russia, until the coronavirus outbreak derailed those plans. Park West called to see if the Plains would like the show instead of it just sitting in crates.
Park West Museum, located in a suburb of Detroit, also recently loaned the Plains a Salvador Dali exhibit that closed in May.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s 1895 print, “La Revue Blanche.” Photo courtesy of Park West Museum / Special to The Forum
“We looked at this as an opportunity to give something special to our audience,” Maus says.
He adds that in addition to it being the first major show of Renoir, Chagall or Kostabi at the Plains, he thinks it’s the first time they’ve been shown in North Dakota.
While the show may not include the most famous pieces by the artists, Maus says the works are “quintessentially” in their individual identifiable styles.
Marc Chagall’s 1973 painting, “Le Cirque Jaune au Grand Clown.” Photo courtesy of Park West Museum / Special to The Forum
“There’s a lot to look at,” Maus says, pointing out the show is split between two of the Plains’ three main galleries. “You can go through the show six or seven times and not see everything.”
The show, which like all shows at the Plains is free and open to the public, will remain on display through Oct. 16.
