Whatcom Museum to display three famous French artworks

Whatcom Museum will soon have three famous French artists’ work displayed in partnership with the National Gallery of Art.

Three pieces – “Still Life with Sleeping Woman” by Henri Matisse, “Picking Flowers” by Auguste Renoir and “The Battle of Love” by Paul Cézanne – will be shown in the “Verdant” exhibit at the museum’s Lightcatcher Building starting Friday, February 14.

“Radical in their day, Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse expanded the ways artists could envision the world, with ripple effects that extended across generations and to the artists well known in our region,” wrote Whatcom Museum chief curator Amy Chaloupka in a statement.

The exhibit is part of the National Gallery of Art’s “Across the Nation” program where the Washington, D.C. gallery is loaning famous artwork to 10 regional museums through 2026 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S.

Information at the exhibit will show more than just the iconic art. Background on the works will also be provided, such as how Matisse’s “Still Life with Sleeping Woman” was looted during World War II.

“It’s a privilege each time we’re entrusted with an artwork, either for exhibition or safekeeping within our collection, and that the National Gallery would partner with us to share these masterworks with Bellingham is a real honor,” wrote Patricia Leach, executive director of Whatcom Museum, in a statement.

The exhibit will be on display for free during the Free First Friday from noon to 9 p.m. Friday, March 7. The museum is also offering free admission for K-12 field trips visiting the exhibit.

The Lightcatcher Building is located at 250 Flora Street in downtown Bellingham.