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Museum of Modern Art in New York City Opens Matisse-Picasso Exhibit Tomorrow
Aired February 12, 2003 - 05:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to a passion for painting and an intense rivalry between two giants of the 20th century art world. The Museum of Modern Art in New York City opens its Matisse-Picasso exhibit tomorrow. Many of the artists' best works will be displayed side by side, inviting the comparisons that inspired the two men throughout their very long lives.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Art lovers have adored them each separately, loved their uniqueness, the challenging, break with tradition works of Pablo Picasso on the one hand, the overflowing with color and serenity of Henri Matisse on the other.
It's because of their distinct styles that Picasso and Matisse are often called the two best artists of the 20th century.
PROF. JACK FLAM, BROOKLYN COLLEGE: They're probably the two artists that most people have some idea of what at least some of their work looks like.
HINOJOSA: But not everyone knows that these two greats had a rivalry that went on for years and inspired many of their best works. Matisse's Bathers With A Turtle answering Picasso's cubist masterpiece, The Women of Avignon; Matisse's Violin and Picasso's Guitar; Matisse's Dancers and Picasso's, as well.
FLAM: You know the way really good athletes set the pace for each other so you play better when you're playing against somebody who's really good? Well, I think that was an important role that they both played for each other.
HINOJOSA: This is the first time Picasso and Matisse are exhibited side by side in such scale, to break down the notion that great artists work in isolation. Their competitive friendship has become so well known that it's even inspired a children's book, "When Pigasso Met Mootisse," and inside, a playful look at how the two fed off of each other creatively.
NINA LADEN, AUTHOR, "WHEN PIGASSO MET MOOTISSE": I'm trying to show kids that it's OK to have a different point of view, to have a different style. And you should respect somebody else even if their style is a little bit different. A lesson from Picasso would be learn how to draw and then break all the rules. A lesson from Matisse would be don't be afraid of color.
FLAM: They always had their eye on the other because they always knew, I think right from the time they first met, that one of them was number one and one of them was number two.
HINOJOSA: Fiercely competitive creators during their lifetimes who left a legacy of transcendent beauty.
Maria Hinojosa, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Awesome.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Picasso Exhibit Tomorrow>
Aired February 12, 2003 - 05:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now to a passion for painting and an intense rivalry between two giants of the 20th century art world. The Museum of Modern Art in New York City opens its Matisse-Picasso exhibit tomorrow. Many of the artists' best works will be displayed side by side, inviting the comparisons that inspired the two men throughout their very long lives.
CNN's Maria Hinojosa takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARIA HINOJOSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Art lovers have adored them each separately, loved their uniqueness, the challenging, break with tradition works of Pablo Picasso on the one hand, the overflowing with color and serenity of Henri Matisse on the other.
It's because of their distinct styles that Picasso and Matisse are often called the two best artists of the 20th century.
PROF. JACK FLAM, BROOKLYN COLLEGE: They're probably the two artists that most people have some idea of what at least some of their work looks like.
HINOJOSA: But not everyone knows that these two greats had a rivalry that went on for years and inspired many of their best works. Matisse's Bathers With A Turtle answering Picasso's cubist masterpiece, The Women of Avignon; Matisse's Violin and Picasso's Guitar; Matisse's Dancers and Picasso's, as well.
FLAM: You know the way really good athletes set the pace for each other so you play better when you're playing against somebody who's really good? Well, I think that was an important role that they both played for each other.
HINOJOSA: This is the first time Picasso and Matisse are exhibited side by side in such scale, to break down the notion that great artists work in isolation. Their competitive friendship has become so well known that it's even inspired a children's book, "When Pigasso Met Mootisse," and inside, a playful look at how the two fed off of each other creatively.
NINA LADEN, AUTHOR, "WHEN PIGASSO MET MOOTISSE": I'm trying to show kids that it's OK to have a different point of view, to have a different style. And you should respect somebody else even if their style is a little bit different. A lesson from Picasso would be learn how to draw and then break all the rules. A lesson from Matisse would be don't be afraid of color.
FLAM: They always had their eye on the other because they always knew, I think right from the time they first met, that one of them was number one and one of them was number two.
HINOJOSA: Fiercely competitive creators during their lifetimes who left a legacy of transcendent beauty.
Maria Hinojosa, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Awesome.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Picasso Exhibit Tomorrow>
