Degas to Picasso: Creating Modernism in France showcases works by Manet, Van Gogh, Delacroix, Cézanne, Cassatt, Chagall, and others as it traces the development and evolution of modern art. Transformative movements such as Impressionism and Cubism are represented in 150 paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures.

Beginning in the nineteenth century, Paris became the center of modern art. Artists from around the world gathered in its studios, galleries, salons, and museums and began charting a new course in art. They moved away from traditional subjects and styles in favor of experimentation and abstraction.