Van Gogh, Dali, and Beyond: The World Reimagined is an exploration of the myriad innovative ways modern artists have reinvented the traditional genres of portrait, still life, and landscape from the 1880s to today. By looking closely at works in a range of media, the catalogue shows how these long-established categories have expanded and transformed from Post-Impressionism to Photorealism, reflecting changes in our conceptions of individuals, objects, and spaces.
The selection of works range from Frida Kahlo’s confident self-representation to Gerhard Richter’s blurred likeness; from Paul Cezanne’s iconic tabletop arrangements to Jeff Koons’ commodified objects; from Vincent van Gogh’s roiling olive trees to Richard Long’s land art, each demonstrating how modernism’s radical new forms have continuously revitalized art history’s conventional subjects. An introductory text reflects on how these artists both inherit and reject the traditions of their adopted genres, and three essays provide close readings of a key portrait (Henri de Toulouse Lautrec’s “La Goulue at the Moulin Rouge”), still-life (Paul Cezanne’s “Still Life with Ginger Jar,” “Sugar Bowl” and “Oranges”), and landscape (Van Gogh’s “The Olive Trees”) from the dawn of modernism, and expand to consider subsequent works. Van Gogh, Dali, and Beyond is published in conjunction with the second major exhibition The Museum of Modern Art is organizing for the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth.