Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso
Artworks from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
23 May - 20 September 2026
Spanning nearly a century of artistic innovation, Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso brings together 37 exceptional paintings and sculptures from the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki never before shown in Australia that capture the radical shifts in art from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century.
Audiences will embark on a journey tracing the major art movements of the modern era, from Impressionism and Post-Impressionism to Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism and post-war abstraction, through works from icons of the age, including Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Paul Cézanne, Salvador Dalí, Paul Gauguin, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso.
This significant collection includes a major philanthropic gift from New York-based collectors Julian Robertson (1932-2022) and Josie Robertson (1943-2010) to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in 2023. Their generous bequest offers a rare glimpse into the vision of two passionate art patrons and their lifelong commitment to sharing and celebrating modern art.
From the sensual nudes and atmospheric brushwork of late 19th century Impressionism to the geometric intensity of Cubism and the dreamlike worlds of Surrealism, Facing Modernity traces how artists shattered conventions and reimagined the world anew.
Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso will be a ticketed exhibition.
Ticket bookings will open at 10am on Thursday 23 April. More details on ticketing will be announced soon.
To register your interest for tickets, sign up to our mailing list below:
Plan your visit to Shepparton Art Museum
Plan your trip to Shepparton
Are you travelling to SAM from outside the Goulburn Valley? Head to our Plan Your Visit page to find out information on:
Elsewhere at SAM café
If you plan to visit our onsite café, Elsewhere at SAM, before or after you view the exhibition, we highly recommend booking a table ahead of time. To book a table and find out more information about Elsewhere at SAM, visit their website.
Selected artworks featured in Facing Modernity
Selected artworks featured in Facing Modernity
Artworks L-R:
1. André Derain, Paysage à l'Estaque (Estaque Landscape), 1906, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Julian and Josie Robertson through the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, 2023; 2. Paul Cezanne, La route (Le mur d'enceinte)/The Road (The Old Wall), 1875-1876, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Julian and Josie Robertson through the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, 2023; 3. Henri Matisse, Espagnole (Buste)/The Spanish Woman, 1922, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Julian and Josie Robertson through the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, 2023
Location: Lin Onus Gallery, Level 1, SAM
Curator: Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
