Eye candy — European masterpieces at Denver Art Museum

We should all be grateful for remodeling projects, especially when the renovated building houses one the best art collections in the country — The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.

Instead of storing artwork during its expansion, Phillips arranged for its European collection to tour five American cities. Now, at its fourth location, "El Greco to Picasso from The Phillips Collection" is on display in the Denver Art Museum through Jan. 4, 2004.

The exhibit encompasses 53 paintings and sculptures by 32 of the world's most renowned artists. With pieces ranging from the mid-1800s through the 1930s — including some earlier masterpieces that served as inspiration for the artists — the exhibit is arranged chronologically and is accompanied by an optional audio tour that enhances the art-seeing experience.

Many of the pieces in the exhibition will be familiar to visitors. For example, Pierre Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party," which depicts many of the artist's friends lunching and lounging along the Seine River, has been seen in movies, advertisements, even on lunch boxes and mouse pads. But to actually behold the painting, measuring 4 1/2 feet by nearly 6 feet, will be a viewing experience long remembered.

Some of the other celebrated works and artists in the exhibit are: "The Round Table" by George Braque, "Self-Portrait" by Paul Cezanne, "The Uprising" by Honore Daumier, "The Repentant St. Peter" by El Greco, "Arab Song" by Paul Klee, "Brother and Sister" by Auguste Rodin, "House at Auvers" by Vincent van Gogh, and "The Blue Room" by Pablo Picasso.

The collection is considered to be among the best in private hands. Duncan Phillips (1886-1966) spent more than 50 years assembling these European and American works. ("El Greco to Picasso" encompasses only the European).

Phillips said his goal was to collect works that would resonate off one another, revealing visual harmonies that tied together the historical masterworks with the art of his own time. In 1921 he opened two rooms of his Washington home to the public, creating the first museum of modern art in the country.

The exhibition is accompanied by a 106-page catalog, "Art Beyond isms: Masterworks from El Greco to Picasso in The Phillips Collection," composed of full-color images of all 53 pieces. It also includes biographical summaries of every artist in the show.