The Stein’s Art Collection:
Ahead of the Curve and Shockingly Modern
Gertrude Stein once said, “You can either buy clothes or buy pictures. It’s that simple. No one who is not very rich can do both.” Lucky for us she chose art over clothes, specifically great examples of early 20th century avant-garde art. Much of the modern art she and her family collected is now on view at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). “The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso and the Parisian Avant-Garde” is a remarkable show featuring over two hundred works from such celebrated artists as Picasso, Matisse, Bonnard, Cezanne, Renoir, and Toulouse-Lautrec. The Stein’s had the foresight to collect modern art before it was fashionable and still somewhat affordable. Living on a modest inheritance, the Stein’s were collectors not wealthy patrons.
I recently spent an afternoon wandering in and out of the fourteen different galleries this blockbuster show occupies. Yes, it’s a large show featuring nearly 200 exhibits which is a testament to the voracious collecting of the Stein siblings: Michael Stein and his wife Sarah, Leo Stein, and, of course, Gertrude Stein.
The exhibition provides visitors with the story of the Stein family and their impact on the art world. Viewers have an opportunity to follow the path the Steins took from their childhood home in Oakland, CA to the legendary salons they hosted in Paris. The show’s curators have done an excellent job of presenting the history of the Stein’s now famous circle of friends from the Parisian avant-garde of the early 1900s — among them artists, poets and intellectuals. In addition to all the illustrious artwork on display (nearly 40 pieces by Picasso and 60 works by Matisse), the exhibit also includes carefully selected Stein family memorabilia. Numerous photos and correspondence are interspersed with famous paintings, drawings and sculpture. One can even read a draft of Gertrude’s last will and testament penned in her own handwriting. It’s not just an art exhibit; it’s a total immersion into the life of an incredible American family who found art and fame in Paris.
Janet Bishop, SFMOMA co-curator, said, “It’s really impossible to overestimate the role of this eccentric American family as patrons of visual art in early 20th-century Paris. The Stein’s were true champions of modernism, embracing and defending new art as it was first being made and before it was met with widespread acceptance. They not only avidly collected works when the artists most needed support, but also enthusiastically opened their modest Left Bank homes to anyone wishing to see the most radical art of the day.”
Pablo Picasso, "Gertrude Stein," 1905-1906, Oil on Canvas. Image: SFMOMA
One of the most recognizable works in the exhibit is Picasso’s Gertrude Stein, 1905-1906, oil on canvas. For the most part, Picasso did not allow people to sit and pose for his paintings. Gertrude, however, claimed to have sat for Picasso on 80 or 90 occasions. He painted this portrait of her because they were friends. When she saw the hard features in Picasso’s depiction of her, she was quite surprised. She said, “It doesn’t really look like me.” Picasso replied, “Don’t worry, it will.”
Other outstanding works by Picasso showcased in the exhibit include: Boy Leading a Horse, 1905-1906, oil on canvas; Head of a Sleeping Woman (Study For Nude With Drapery), 1907, oil on canvas; and The Architect’s Table, 1912, oil on canvas mounted on oval panel. This particular work was the first Picasso painting Gertrude purchased independently of her brothers. Apparently cubist style painting was not to her brother Leo’s liking. In the years to come Gertrude and Leo grew further apart in their taste for art. Leo moved to Italy in 1914 and never spoke with his sister again.
Henri Matisse, "Blue Nude: Memory of Biskra," 1907, Oil on Canvas. Image: SFMOMA
It was Michael and Sarah Stein who forged a particularly close friendship with Henri Matisse. Among the highlights of Matisse’s work on display are: Woman with a Hat, 1905, oil on canvas; Blue Nude: Memory of Biskra, 1907, oil on canvas; and Tea, 1919, oil on canvas. The edgy and aggressive painting Blue Nude was so provocative for its time, it stunned American audiences. In 1913 the Stein’s lent the painting to the Armory Show (New York) where art collector Albert Barnes (Philadelphia) saw it. He described the show to Leo Stein as, “The sensation of a generation. Academic art received a blow from which it will never entirely recover.”
I found one gallery in the exhibit to be particularly interesting. It is dedicated to the Parisian apartment Leo and Gertrude shared at 27 Rue de Fleurus and depicts the finely crafted antique Italian furniture and decorative arts they collected. Gertrude intended the décor serve as a buffer to the shocking avant-garde art and said, “The pictures were so strange that one quite instinctively looked at anything rather than at them, just at first.
“The Steins Collect” is one of those acclaimed art shows that are a favorite for both museumgoers and museum brass. This popular exhibit has attracted large numbers of visitors since opening back in May prompting SFMOMA to extend viewing hours. Unfortunately, it closes on September 6 before traveling to Paris and New York. If you do plan on seeing the show be sure to rent the accompanying audio tour. It provides a unique learning experience.
Note: Although my last name is Stein, it is my husband’s contention that we are not related to Gertrude, Leo and Michael Stein.
I loved this post on the Stein collection. Do you have any information on how the conversation between Gertrude and Picasso was preserved?( I am refering to the conversation in which Gertrude posed for Picasso ) Was it a letter or book ?
Thank you!
Wendy: The conversation was retold by SFMOMA co-curator Janet Bishop. Bishop’s comments appeared in a special publication printed for this exhibit by the “The SF Examiner.”