Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern

November 17, 2024 – March 29, 2025

The Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art announces Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern, an exhibition focusing on the collection and legacy of Lillie P. Bliss, one of the Museum’s three founders and an early advocate for modern art in the United States. On view from November 17, 2024, through March 29, 2025, the exhibition, which marks the 90th anniversary of Bliss’s bequest coming to MoMA, includes iconic works such as Paul Cézanne’s The Bather (c. 1885) and Amedeo Modigliani’s Anna Zborowska (1917). The exhibition, which will feature about 40 works as well as archival materials, will highlight Bliss’s critical role in the reception of modern art in the US and in the founding of MoMA.

Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern is organized by Ann Temkin, The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture, and Romy Silver-Kohn, co-editor with Temkin of Inventing the Modern: Untold Stories of the Women Who Shaped The Museum of Modern Art, with Rachel Remick, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Painting and Sculpture.

Support for the exhibition is provided by the Annual Exhibition Fund. Leadership contributions to the Annual Exhibition Fund, in support of the Museum’s collection and collection exhibitions, are generously provided by Jerry I. Speyer and Katherine G. Farley, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Sandra and Tony Tamer Exhibition Fund, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, Alice and Tom Tisch, the Marella and Giovanni Agnelli Fund for Exhibitions, The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Eva and Glenn Dubin, Mimi Haas, The David Rockefeller Council, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz, Kenneth C. Griffin, The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis, and Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder. Major funding is provided by The Sundheim Family Foundation.

The Bloomberg Connects digital experience is made possible through the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Press Kit

Images

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Paul Cézanne. The Bather. c. 1885. Oil on canvas. 50 x 38 1/8″ (127 x 96.8 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Lillie P. Bliss Collection, 1934. Conservation was made possible by the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. Photo: John Wronn

Georges-Pierre Seurat. Port-en-Bessin, Entrance to the Harbor. 1888. Oil on canvas. 21 5/8 x 25 5/8″ (54.9 x 65.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Lillie P. Bliss Collection, 1934.

Amedeo Modigliani. Anna Zborowska. 1917. Oil on canvas. 51 1/4 x 32″ (130.2 x 81.3 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Lillie P. Bliss Collection, 1934. Photo: John Wronn

Vincent van Gogh. The Starry Night. Saint Rémy, June 1889. Oil on canvas. 29 x 36 1/4″ (73.7 x 92.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest (by exchange), 1941. Conservation was made possible by the Bank of America Art Conservation Project. Photo: Jonathan Muzikar

Odilon Redon. Silence. c. 1911. Oil on prepared paper. 21 1/2 x 21 1/4″ (54.6 x 54 cm) The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Lillie P. Bliss Collection, 1934.

Lillie P. Bliss. c. 1924. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York.

Lillie P. Bliss. c. 1904. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York.

Installation view of the exhibition “Memorial Exhibition: The Collection of the Late Lizzie P. Bliss.” May 17, 1931–October 6, 1931. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York. Photo: Peter A. Juley

Installation view of the exhibition “The Lillie P. Bliss Collection, 1934.”
May 14, 1934–September 12, 1934. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York.

The music room in Bliss’s apartment, 1001 Park Avenue, c. 1929–1931. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York.

Installation view of Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern, on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York from November 17, 2024, through March 29, 2025. Photo: Emile Askey.