Rare 17th Century Oil Painting to Appear in FOUR CENTURIES Show

SANTA FE, N.M. - May 8, 2014 - PRLog -- Matthews Gallery has gained a reputation for notable blue-chip artwork, but the unique Canyon Road establishment has never dipped this far back in art history. The gallery is excited to present a 17th century oil painting attributed to influential Franco-Flemish artist Jean- Baptiste Monnoyer in FOUR CENTURIES: European Art from 1600 to 1950. The exhibition begins Friday, June 13 with an opening reception from 5-7 pm and ends June 19.

“We love transporting Canyon Road visitors to other times and places,” says gallery owner Lawrence Matthews. “This exhibition will take art fans to Lautrec and Picasso’s Paris, Gauguin’s Tahiti, and now Monnoyer’s Versailles.”

Monnoyer (1636-1699) was born in Lille, France and trained in Antwerp, where he learned the still life painting techniques of the Low Countries. Back in France, the artist received high profile commissions from Louis XIV, including floral painting projects in the Queen’s apartment at Seine and the Palace of Versailles.

Monnoyer’s lavish surroundings pushed him to develop a bolder, more ornamental style that contrasted with the empirical approach of some of his contemporaries. His engravings of different types of flowers served as references for French tapestry workshops, and greatly influenced interior decorative styles across Europe.

A still life painting attributed to Monnoyer will serve as one endpoint in the timeline of FOUR CENTURIES, which spans through the mid-20th century. Other offerings include an 1800s woodcut by Paul Gauguin, an early 1900s pastoral scene by A.J. Barry and a mid-century lithograph by Gino Severini. Artwork by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso and more will appear in the show.

For more information, please visit www.thematthewsgallery.com.