India Alstrin | staff writer

The Modern Art Era was coming to a close in 1950 and the Post-Modern and Contemporary Era was beginning. Helen Clay Frick, art collector and daughter to Henry Clay Frick, made this remark about the fate of modern era art:

“Fifty years from now how many of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists will still be thought of as anything but trash.”

However, she unknowingly misjudged what is now seen as one of the most beloved and revolutionary artistic periods in history.

And on June 20, the Frick Art Museum, located in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood, debuted its French Modern exhibit, featuring 56 pieces of artwork.

The pieces highlight Paris’ status as the epicenter of innovation and the modern art era, which ranged from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. On Aug. 7, the exhibit excitedly welcomed three paintings by Claude Monet entitled “Banks of the Seine at Lavacourt,” “Rising Tide at Pourville” and “Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect.”

“Time has a way of humbling people. … I think [Helen Clay Frick] would be probably really surprised at the crowds that are in our galleries to see all of these Impressionists and Post Impressionists,” Dawn Reid Brean, chief curator for the Frick said. “I think she would be proud of what we’re doing, and be delighted that there are crowds.”

For about three years, the team at the Frick has been coordinating and planning this exhibit with the help of the staff at

The Frick Collection in Brooklyn, New York. They pulled the 56 pieces from Henry Clay Frick’s personal collection. The three Monet Pieces, which were previously on loan to the Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco, were luckily able to be added to this exhibit in August because of a travel coincidence when they were able to get the pieces travelling from San Francisco to Brooklyn.

The French Modern Era was defined by its rejection of traditional styles and focus on the human view of color and light.

For Monet specifically, this is something that makes his paintings so recognizable.

“Throughout his entire career, he was drawn to art making and was exploring one central question,” Reid Brean said.

“How can paint on canvas evoke the intangible and fugitive aspects of light, color and atmosphere?”

This is a question you can see Monet attempting to answer in all of his paintings.

“Houses of Parliament, Sunlight Effect” is one piece Reid Brean finds herself most drawn to from this exhibit for that very reason.

“There is a way that he captures the sparkly effect of sunlight on the water in the bottom right corner of the canvas, that is just so, so great. Every single time I’m in that gallery, I have to look at that corner of the canvas,” she said.

Once Kelsie Paul, the director of learning at the Frick, was told about this exhibit, she and her team spent about a year working on public programs. Their goal was to create opportunities for learning, creativity and enjoyment for people of all ages and backgrounds.

“We [in the education department] try to give people an unexpected or a more welcoming entry point into an exhibition. We firmly believe … that museums are for everyone. Anyone can benefit from coming to a museum and experiencing an exhibit like French Moderns. … Even if art isn’t really your thing,” Paul said.

These programs began in May, weeks before the exhibit’s opening day. Starting with “The Women of Paris: Artists, Lovers, and Influencers,” which explored “the women who put their indelible stamp on Parisian life in the years between the Industrial Revolution and World War II,” according to a news release about the exhibit.

In July, they revived their book club, which ended because of the pandemic. This program has now been given a second chance as “Books and Banter Reading Club,” which discussed the historical Fiction Novel “Rodin’s Lover.” Written by Heather Webb, it follows the French-sculptor Camille Claudel.

This is a program that Paul and her team hope to keep around for future exhibits as well. They will be doing a second reading in September for the book “In Montmartre: Picasso, Matisse, and the Birth of Modernist Art” by Sue Roe. These meetings are designed to be a welcoming environment, with snacks, drinks and conversation.

“Whether you’re familiar with the book or not, or if you’re familiar with the artist or not, we’re inviting people to come. … If you’re not used to being part of a book club, this is a good way to find an entry point into that,” Paul said.

Their programming for this exhibit will come to a close on Oct. 10 with their final event being a Cabaret show. This program was planned with the help of Nicole Vilkner, a professor in the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne, and Robert Frankenberry.

The goal is “to bring [the cabaret style] and French culture to life in our auditorium,” Paul said.

This final program offers a 90-minute show, a meet and greet, exclusive after-hours access to the French Moderns exhibit, a glass of wine for those 21 or older and snacks.

“French Moderns: Matisse / Renoir / Degas” is open to the public until Oct. 11 at the Frick. To view pricing for general admission and their remaining learning programs, visit their website.

A student discount is available to those with a valid student ID, which is $17 according to their website.

India Alstrin can be reached at alstrini@duq.edu