Photo Credit: The Henry & Rose Pearlman Foundation
On Saturday, March 21st, members of the California and Northwest Chapters gathered at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for a docent-led tour of the special exhibition Village Square: Gifts of Modern Art from the Pearlman Collection, followed by lunch at Meyers Manx Cafe at the Petersen Automotive Museum.
The morning centered on a landmark gift to the art world: the Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation has donated its entire collection-an exceptional group of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and modern works-to three major institutions: the Brooklyn Museum, LACMA, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Village Square brought together nearly 50 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper in a celebration of art and community, showcasing expressive landscapes and striking portraits by Cézanne, Degas, Manet, Modigliani, Sisley, Soutine, Toulouse-Lautrec, and others.
Photo Credit: Pearlman Collection
Henry Pearlman (1895–1974) began collecting avant-garde art in 1945 with a landscape by Chaïm Soutine, which set him on a lifelong, self-guided journey through 19th- and 20th-century European art. The works he assembled over the following decades reflect a deeply personal and discerning eye, and their gift to three great institutions ensures that this vision will now be shared with the public in perpetuity. LACMA’s portion of the gift includes Édouard Manet’s Young Woman in a Round Hat (c. 1877–79) and Vincent van Gogh’s Tarascon Stagecoach (1888)—the first paintings by either artist to enter the museum’s permanent collection.
Guided by a knowledgeable docent, patrons moved through the galleries at an intimate pace, exploring the relationships between artists and the communities that shaped their work. The exhibition’s title-Village Square-evokes the idea of art as a gathering place, and the tour brought that spirit to life as patrons paused before each work to discuss technique, influence, and the remarkable story behind the collection.
Photo Credit: LAsThePlace.com
Following the tour and a visit to the LACMA gift shop, the group crossed the street to Meyers Manx Cafe at the Petersen Automotive Museum, where patrons gathered for lunch in a relaxed and convivial setting. The meal offered a welcome opportunity for conversation and reflection, a fitting close to a morning spent in the company of extraordinary art.