Though largely forgotten today and always discreetly behind the scenes in his own day, Félix Fénéon had an extraordinary impact on the development of modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and played a key role in the careers of leading artists from Georges Seurat and Paul Signac to Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse. The centrepiece of the exhibition will be Signac’s portrait of Fénéon, Opus 217. Against the Enamel of a Background Rhythmic with Beats and Angels, Tones, and Tints, Portrait of M. Félix Fénéon in 1890 – an important recent acquisition to MoMA’s collection.

The exhibition and catalogue are a collaboration with the Musées d’Orsay/Orangerie (opening October, 2019) and the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac (opening May, 2019). The MoMA presentation will combine, distil and augment elements from the two complimentary Paris venues. The Quai Branly focuses primarily on Fénéon’s collection of sculpture from Africa and Oceania, while the Orangerie focuses primarily on European paintings and works on paper.

Published in conjunction with the exhibition Gauguin: Metamorphoses at The Museum of Modern Art, this volume explores the remarkable relationship between Paul Gauguin's rare and extraordinary prints and transfer drawings, and his better-known paintings and sculptures in wood and ceramic. Created in several discreet bursts of activity from 1889 until his death in 1903, these remarkable works on paper reflect Gauguin's experiments with a range of mediums, from radically 'primitive' woodcuts that extend from the sculptural gouging of his carved wood reliefs, to jewel-like watercolour monotypes and large, mysterious transfer drawings. Richly illustrated with approximately 190 works in a range of mediums, Gauguin: Metamorphoses explores the artist's radically experimental approach to techniques and his pivotal place in the history of art. An introductory essay by Starr Figura considers the significance of Gauguin's innovative printmaking and the relationship between his prints and works in painting and sculpture. Elizabeth Childs writes on Gauguin's radical wood sculptures, using them as a touchstone from which to further investigate his peripatetic practice. An essay by Hal Foster addresses Gauguin's 'primitivism' and its aesthetic and cultural implications. An essay by Erika Mosier offers a conservator's insights into Gauguin's unusual printmaking techniques.