Brooklyn is celebrating modern art in a big, joyful way this fall. Cézanne to Modigliani: Gifts of Modern Art from the Pearlman Collection is now on view at the Brooklyn Museum, at 200 Eastern Parkway, through April 18, 2027, bringing together more than fifty paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century.
The visit begins with the painting that started it all: Chaïm Soutine’s View of Céret (1921–22), the work that sparked Henry Pearlman’s passion for modern European art. From there, visitors meet Paul Cézanne in depth — major landscapes, figural works and a sparkling cache of watercolors — alongside Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Édouard Manet, Alfred Sisley and Vincent van Gogh. A special highlight is Amedeo Modigliani: his portraits of Jean Cocteau (1916) and Léon Indenbaum are the first Modigliani paintings to enter the Brooklyn Museum’s collection, joined by a rare limestone bust by the artist.
The exhibition also tells a warm Brooklyn story. Henry Pearlman, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, grew up in Park Slope, and his wife Rose arrived from Minsk at age four and grew up in Brooklyn too. The gift of twenty-nine Pearlman works is one of the most significant gifts of European art in the museum’s history, and Brooklyn, LACMA and MoMA will share the works regularly so they stay accessible to everyone. Curated by Lisa Small, this is a rare final chance to see the whole collection together — a celebration of generosity, curiosity and great art.
Photo: Bruce M. White, courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum — Vincent van Gogh, Tarascon Stagecoach, 1888
