The 2005 exhibition of European Modern Masters at Annandale Galleries is yet another milestone towards our goal of furthering the public?s intimacy with these contemporary greats who have had such a profound influence on western art. From Picasso we receive an unparalleled depth of expression; from Matisse, an economy of line that typifies effortlessness; from Miro we see pure intuition and are challenged to use our own; from Chagall we catch a glimpse into the world of a magician and a storyteller; from Moore we embrace the figure abstracted; from Nicholson we witness the unlikely harmony of painting that is at the same time both musical and architectural; Braque asks us to observe the many dimensions present in not only the expressive form, but in the more reticent still life and landscape and finally Hockney refreshes the traditional modern palette with his brilliant draughtsmanship and highly graphic qualities. This melange of truly gifted artists and their mastery makes for a remarkable visual experience.

We believe that in order to fully understand the present we must grasp the past. For Annandale, this exhibition is an opportunity to not only better explore our debt to these artists and their ubiquitous influence on art ? and indeed on our lives ? but to juxtapose them and learn more about how they understood and recognised each other.