The ‘Icons of Modern Art’ exhibit at Paris’s Louis Vuitton Foundation gallery has been so popular that it’s been extended for two weeks and hours stretched to as late as 1 am to accommodate its audience.
Previously scheduled to end on February 20, and with all tickets sold (60,000 a week), the closing has been postponed to March 5, and will be open 7 days a week until 11 pm. During the final week, that will be extended to 1 am, and doors will open at 7 am.
The excitement stems from the works and their story. There are 29 early works by Picasso, 22 Matisses, 12 Gauguins, Cezannes and Van Goghs, all collected by Prince Sergei Shchukin, a Russian textile merchant, on his trips to Paris before World War I. Some were commissioned by him, and he was close to Matisse.
In addition to his collection, there are 30 major pieces from Russian avant-garde artists of the period. After the Revolution, Shchukin’s collection became part of the Soviet state art galleries, and was divided among several museums. This is the first time since then it has been gathered in one place.
