Cézanne

On two great artists and their collectors: Courtauld and Cézanne, Meyer and Munch

There are some collectors who, through foresight and dedication, have built truly outstanding art collections and shared them widely as part of public museums. Among these were Samuel Courtauld in London, England, and Rasmus Meyer in Bergen, Norway. At the heart of each man’s collection was a single artist whose work was their greatest passion: for Courtauld, it was the French painter Paul Cézanne and, for Meyer, it was Norway’s own Edvard Munch. This unique collaboration between KODE Art Museums in Bergen and the Courtauld in London celebrates these two remarkable collectors and two great artists by temporarily exchanging the collections. This volume tells the story of Cézanne’s rise to prominence. This publication not only presents 10 key works from the Courtauld along with Cézannes from Norwegian collections, it also brings them together with eyewitness accounts from the early years of his profound influence.