More than 50 paintings, prints, and sculptures by some of modern art's biggest names — Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, and Vincent van Gogh among them — are converging under one roof at San Antonio's McNay Art Museum starting October 30. The exhibition, titled “Modern Paris: A Century Begins,” runs through January 24, 2027, and pulls its entire roster from the museum's own permanent collection rather than importing a traveling show.
The exhibition was curated by McNay Director and CEO Dr. Matthew McLendon, who assembled it specifically to reunite French modernist works that are normally scattered across the museum's thematic galleries or tucked away in storage, according to the McNay Art Museum. The show explores the dynamic period when Paris drew artists from around the world at the dawn of the 20th century, as they exchanged ideas, challenged conventions, and fostered innovation in visual art.
Alongside Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall, the show features Georges Braque, Amedeo Modigliani, Berthe Morisot, and Chaïm Soutine. It also traces the evolution of modern art through earlier figures including Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, before moving into Fauvism and Cubism, movements that challenged limitations in form and emphasized boldness.
An Opening Piece Tied to Art History's Turning Point
The exhibition opens with Alfred Sisley's 1872 landscape “The Route from Saint-Germain to Marly,” a painting with serious historical weight: it was originally featured in the First Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1874, according to the McNay Art Museum. The piece came to the museum's collection as a gift from Dr. and Mrs. Frederic G. Oppenheimer.
The exhibition reflects the McNay's history of collecting French modernist art. Founding collector Marion Koogler McNay built her holdings during the 1930s and 1940s, acquiring many works before the artists behind them had achieved the canonical status they hold today, the museum notes.
From a Private Mansion to 22,000 Works
The McNay opened in 1954 as the first modern art museum in Texas, growing from Marion Koogler McNay's initial bequest of more than 700 works into a collection of more than 22,000 works today, as Hoodline previously reported on a portrait exhibition curated by Head of Curatorial Affairs Dr. Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell. The museum's original footprint centered on McNay's 24-room Spanish Colonial Revival mansion on 23 acres. McLendon took over as the museum's fourth director in February 2023.
The McNay has also been actively building out its French modernist holdings beyond its founding bequest. In June 2026, the museum secured a three-year loan of four major French modernist paintings from the Robertson Foundation, including works by Maurice de Vlaminck and André Derain, with the pieces originating from the private collection of the late Julian H. Robertson, Jr.
A Fall Season Built Around Two Banner Shows
“Modern Paris” isn't running alone this fall. It opens the same day as “Suki Seokyeong Kang: Mountain — Hour — Face,” the first solo exhibition by a South Korean artist in the McNay's history, featuring nearly 40 contemporary installations and sculptures created between 2014 and 2024. The pairing anchors a broader fall 2026 programming push at the museum.
The fall schedule also includes “Artfully Served,” an October 27 event featuring The Magpie. Museum members get advance access to “Modern Paris” on October 29, with a member tour.
Free Family Programming Rounds Out the Launch
The McNay hosts “Family Day: Passport to Art” on November 1.
The McNay Art Museum is located at 6000 N New Braunfels Ave in San Antonio.
