[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/lesidaner.jpg” caption=”Le vase rouge by Henri Le Sidaner (1862-1939), oil on canvas, gift of Herman Levy. Photo by Jennifer Petteplace.”]Degas, Monet and Renoir are just some of the world-renowned French artists whose works will be showcased in two new exhibits at the McMaster Museum of Art. Matisse: Jazz and the French School open Thursday, March 13.

The works are among the most popular and requested in McMaster University's permanent collection. Most came to McMaster through the generosity of Herman Herzog Levy, a Hamilton businessman with a keen eye and a passion for the arts.

The donation of his personal collection of European art in the mid 1980s and subsequent bequest specifically for the purchase of art was one of the largest gifts to any cultural institution in Canada at the time.

The exhibition Matisse: Jazz presents 20 original stencil prints by Henri Matisse from the book Jazz, printed in 1947. Matisse (1869-1954) was known for his use of colour and line as a printmaker, sculptor, draughtsman and painter.

In 1943, while he was in his 70s and recuperating from a serious illness, Matisse began to work on a set of collages, using scissors to cut out simple forms from brightly coloured paper. Assistants took these assemblages and translated them into stencil prints, which were then published as a book. This exhibition continues until September 6, 2008.

The second exhibition highlights works from the French School, and in particular, from those artists who practiced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when France was the centre of the art world.

Thirty-one paintings and prints represent the three key art movements of the time: Realism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. The exhibition includes works by Bernard, Bonnard, Braque, Degas, Dufy, Friesz, Gaugin, Marquet, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Rouault and Le Sidaner. The French School continues until December 13, 2008.