André Derain [French, b. 1880, d. 1954] Paysage à l'Estaque (Estaque Landscape) Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of Julian and Josie Robertson through the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, 2023

SAM winter blockbuster exhibition brings modern artworks from Picasso, Degas, Matisse and more to Goulburn Valley in an Australian exclusive

Facing Modernity arrives at Shepparton Art Museum in a landmark cultural moment.

Winter 2026 promises a defining cultural highlight as Shepparton Art Museum presents Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, one of the most ambitious international exhibitions ever to be staged in regional Australia.

From 23 May to 20 September 2026, SAM will host the sole Australian presentation of this extraordinary winter blockbuster exhibition, bringing together the power, provocation, and beauty of modern art’s most influential figures. Degas, Cézanne, Matisse ,and Picasso anchor a journey of innovation, experimentation, and creative rupture that reshaped the visual language of the modern world.

Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

When: 23 May – 20 September 2026

Where: Shepparton Art Museum (SAM)

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Spanning nearly a century of artistic transformation, Facing Modernity features 37 exceptional paintings and sculptures tracing the evolution of modern art from late 19th-century Impressionism through to post-war abstraction. The exhibition unfolds as a narrative of artistic rebellion, where atmospheric brushwork gives way to fractured geometry, colour is liberated through Fauvism, and reality dissolves into Surrealist imagination.

Audiences will encounter works by Pierre Bonnard, Georges Braque, Paul Cézanne, Salvador Dalí, André Derain, Paul Gauguin, Barbara Hepworth, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, artists whose ideas did more than reflect their time, they actively shaped it.

A significant highlight of the exhibition is a major philanthropic gift from New York collectors Julian Robertson and Josie Robertson, donated to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in 2023. Their generous bequest offers insight into a lifetime of passionate collecting and a deep commitment to sharing modern art with the public. For Australian audiences, this marks a rare opportunity to experience these works outside a capital city setting.

From the sensuality of Impressionist nudes to the intellectual intensity of Cubism, from Gauguin’s symbolic use of colour to Picasso’s psychologically charged forms, Facing Modernity reveals how artists dismantled tradition and reimagined visual expression for a rapidly changing world.

SAM Artistic Director Danny Lacy describes the exhibition as a rare and resonant opportunity.
“Shepparton Art Museum is honoured to share this extraordinary exhibition with Australian audiences. Facing Modernity offers a rare opportunity to encounter works by the defining figures of modern art, artists whose visions continue to shape how we understand creativity and human connection today.”

The exhibition has already resonated strongly with audiences in Aotearoa New Zealand. Dr Sarah Farrar, Head of Curatorial and Learning at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, notes that the works have been seen by more than 479,000 visitors in Auckland over the past two years. “This tour takes them beyond our walls, creating new encounters for audiences who may not normally have the chance to experience them.”

Set within the striking architecture of Shepparton Art Museum, these internationally significant works take on new resonance in a regional context. The presentation reinforces SAM’s position as a leading cultural destination and affirms the importance of regional institutions in presenting world-class exhibitions.

This exhibition stands as a rare opportunity to experience the defining works of modern art in a regional setting, presented with ambition, depth and international significance.

Facing Modernity: Degas to Picasso from Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki opens 23 May 2026 at Shepparton Art Museum.

Tickets go on sale at 10am Thursday 23 April and can be purchased here.