The Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College has opened "Picturing Paris: Monet and the Modern City," a focused exhibition reuniting three Claude Monet paintings from spring 1867, including the museum's own "The Garden of the Princess" alongside two loans from European museums. The show features over 30 additional works from the Allen's collection by artists such as Renoir, Degas, and Cézanne, and coincides with the arrival of new director Jon Seydl, who returned to Northeast Ohio in July after leadership roles at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Worcester Art Museum, and Krannert Art Museum.
The exhibition underscores the Allen's reputation as a top academic art museum, while Seydl's appointment signals a continued commitment to innovative, audience-engaging programming. His track record of blending scholarly rigor with pop-culture appeal—seen in past shows like "The Last Days of Pompeii" and "Meow"—suggests the museum will build on its strengths in both curatorial excellence and community outreach.