Celebrating one hundred years as one of America's oldest and largest art and antique dealers, M.S. Rau Antiques will mark the end of its centennial with a specially curated exhibit of significant Impressionist paintings, presented alongside the masters who paved the way to the revolutionary movement as well as the innovators who carried the Impressionist ideals into the 20th century. This remarkable collection includes paintings spanning the pre-Impressionist and Impressionist movements with works by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh and Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot, works owned by M.S. Rau as well as works on loan.  The paintings will be on display in M.S. Rau's exhibition gallery from November 16th this year to January 4t, 2013, in the historic French Quarter in New Orleans at 630 Royal Street.  The gallery is open to the public Monday to Saturday, 9:15am to 5:00pm. Admission to the exhibition is free.   www.rauantiques.com

            Claude Monet's L'Enfant a la Tasse, Portrait de Jean Monet, is an oil painting that was completed in 1868 as a tribute to his son, Jean Monet.  In impeccable condition, the subject matter reveals the intense love bond between father and son and was painted during a time of extreme financial turmoil in Monet's life before he received recognition in the art world. He had just been ousted from his family and its fortune because he chose to live with his mistress and the son they had together.  The same year, this anguish caused Monet to throw himself in the Seine River in Paris to try and drown himself.   

Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Paysage, Arbres et Lande au Fonde in 1892. This landscape with trees and a moor is a brilliant example of Renoir's iconic style. The development of his lush brushstroke, carefully conjured atmosphere and scintillating palette of color was a result of his early landscapes such as this one. Renoir, like other painters of his era, was inspired by the lush, scenic peninsula in northwestern France where this was painted.  

Vincent van Gogh's Still Life with Two Sacks and a Bottle (1884) is canvas on a panel.  It is one of a series he painted in his somber still life phase.  As a post impressionist, van Gogh used intensely contrasting colors against a dark background, transforming the technical exercise of still life painting into a dynamic study of form and color characteristic of the Post Impressionist movement. Such drama emphasized his emotional turmoil at the time over the recent loss of his father and potentially foreshadows mental instability that would plague him so severely later in life. 

Jean Baptiste Camille Corot painted L'Entrée de Chemin Creux between the years of 1870-1875. Claude Monet referred to Corot as a master of Impressionism. His techniques of painting landscapes "en plein air" (outside of a studio) were significant in the transition between classical and Impressionist styles, capturing light, natural beauty and classical elements with great ease on canvas. This particular canvas illustrates an exceptional depth of realism. Among his contemporary admirers were Courbet and Berte Morisot.

In addition to the significant works of art which will be part of this exhibition, MS Rau Antiques has an inventory of museum-quality antiques and estate jewelry for sale and for viewing at its gallery. Visitors and collectors are welcome to browse and ask questions of the knowledgeable staff.