Recently, I attended The Steins Collect press event at the SFMOMA where Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz was invited to speak about Schwab’s role as the lead corporate sponsor for the exhibition. While I was there, I had the opportunity to chat with the SFMOMA team involved in bringing the collection to San Francisco and learned four interesting facts that warrant sharing.

1. Bringing The Steins Collect to SFMOMA was a project some 10 years in the making. The works displayed were from private and public collections dispersed all over the world, which made it nearly impossible to pull together such a great number of pieces under one roof.

In the Salon: The Divan by Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec, shows up fashionably late

2. In the Salon: The Divan almost got stuck in Brazil. Apparently, clearing customs can be as difficult for paintings as it is for people. The famous

Toulouse-Lautrec painting had a hard time getting the government signatures it needed to leave the country. In the Salon: The Divan has safely made her way to the U.S. with a chaperone, which I learned that in addition to proper signatures, is also a requirement for many major works of art.  

3. The Steins Collect is one of the largest exhibitions ever showcased at SFMOMA in terms of the value and historical importance of the art.

4. The Steins had no bare walls. Most of the walls in their studios and homes were covered in masterpieces. Just two walls in the studio at 27 Rue de Fleurus were covered by 17 pieces from Picasso, Matisse, Manet and Renoir. One wall in the dining room at 58 Rue Madame held 11 works by Manguin, Picasso and Matisse.

These are just four of many interesting facts about The Steins Collect. Schwab is partnering with SFMOMA to showcase more than 200 landmark works of modern art from the collections of author Gertrude Stein and her family from May 21 - Sept. 6. Don’t miss it!
 

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