From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection

When American Chester Dale bequeathed the core of his art collection to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. upon his death in 1962, the institution became a major repository of late 19th- and early 20th-century French paintings overnight. Why Dale and his wife, Maud, collected the work they did, and how their collection went to this museum are fascinating stories by themselves, but the truly happy ending is that U.S. citizens are all the richer for the Dale's foresight and generosity.

From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection assembles over 80 key pieces of the Collection from throughout the Gallery, and has regrouped them. No longer separated by chronology or artist, the exhibition instead imitates the canvases' stylistic placement within the Dale's Manhattan townhouse.

From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection is on view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. from January 31, 2010 through January 2, 2012.