Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition

Visit from week 1 term 3 until week 4 term 4 in 2026

Exclusive to the Art Gallery of South Australia, Monet to Matisse: Defying Tradition traces a ground-breaking era in art history through iconic works by the most influential European and American artists of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Experience fifty-seven masterworks from the Toledo Museum of Art’s world-renowned collection, as Monet to Matisse tells the story of artists defying tradition and transforming modern art, from Impressionism to Cubism and Surrealism to Abstract Expressionism.

Featured artists include Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Helen Frankenthaler, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot, Pablo Picasso, Robert Rauschenberg, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh and James McNeill Whistler. Select works from AGSA’s own collection enrich and complement the exhibition experience.

School Bookings

School bookings for this exhibition will open later in Term 1 in 2026. Check back or subscribe to our channels for bookings in Term 3.

AGSA Education are anticipating this exhibition will be a very popular excursion choice for all schools. As such, school bookings will be subject to timed visits and guided sessions will be limited.

AGSA Education is generously supported by the Department for Education as such school ticket prices are available for K-12 students.

  • $30 per 30 students including up to 4 supporting adults for all Department for Education schools, all regional schools and equity schools. Home school groups may be eligible for this price. See home school group page for more information.
  • $70 per 30 students including up to 4 supporting adults for all other schools.
  • Additional supervising adults are required to purchase an adult ticket.
  • These rates do not apply to tertiary groups, who can access Group or Concession pricing.

Once you have made a booking request you will receive a detailed confirmation email. This will confirm your schedule and a link to purchase your class ticket prior to arrival. School tickets cannot be purchased without a link from AGSA Education.

Tickets must be purchased prior to your visit. Please ensure you have either a printed copy of this ticket for each group or an electronic version on your device. If your business manager or another teacher has made the ticket purchase on your behalf, please ensure this has been forwarded to you prior to visiting.

The exhibition will run from 11 July – 8 November. Schools can visit from week 1 in term 3 up to and including week 4 in term 4

This exhibition will be a very popular excursion choice for all schools. As such, school bookings will be subject to timed visits and guided sessions will be limited.

School visits to Monet to Matisse will be available at the following times:
10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm and 1pm.

Schools must arrive at least 15min prior to your timed ticket entry. For those booking a visit for 10am, please note AGSA will be open for schools from 9.30am to drop off bags, bathroom & recess breaks to be ready for a 10am start in the exhibition.


These session times have capacity limits so please provide three potential dates/times in case your first preference isn’t available.

This exhibition is appropriate for children of all ages.

No. As this exhibition has timed entry, we will not be able to provide entry to schools who arrive without booking. School booking requests must be made at least two weeks prior to your visit.

All school bags will be stored in trolleys outside along the Fish Gate entry and not inside the Gallery. Bags are left at your own risk. Bags that are A4 or smaller e.g. small totes may be permitted inside the exhibition. Please encourage students to bring a small tote bag instead of a standard backpack.

Photographs are permitted without a flash.

For self-guided visits you may like to utilise our new self-guided resources and interactive tools for art lovers of all ages. These will include a Chatterbox and selected Curiosity Cards to encourage playful engagement, as well as audio guides.

More information about these resources will be released closer to the exhibition date.

See below for some resources we have already collated for you.

Paul Cézanne, born Aix-en-Provence, France 1839, died Aix-en-Provence, France 1906, Avenue at Chantilly, 1888, oil on canvas, 81.3 x 64.8 cm; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Levis, Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, United States of America.

Before Making Your Booking Request

  • Please double check your school calendar and liaise with relevant staff for permissions as to an appropriate date to visit AGSA. Make sure your requested date doesn’t clash with a school event. Visits to Monet to Matisse will be in high demand so it may not be possible to change dates once your booking is confirmed.
  • School bookings must be made at least two weeks prior to your visit.
  • Schools must arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your timed ticket entry. For those booking a visit for 10am, please note AGSA will be open for schools from 9.30am to drop off bags, bathroom and recess breaks to be ready for a 10am start in the exhibition.
  • School visits to Monet to Matisse will be available at the following times:
    10am, 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, 12pm, 12.30pm and 1pm.

These session times have capacity limits so please provide three potential dates/times in case your first preference isn’t available.

Important: Changes to bag storage

All school bags will be stored in trolleys outside along the Fish Gate entry and not inside the Gallery. Bags are left at your own risk. Bags that are A4 or smaller e.g. small totes may be permitted inside the exhibition. Please encourage students to bring a small tote bag instead of a standard backpack.

AGSA’s Top Tip for responding to Monet to Matisse: Move away from Mimicking the Masters

We want to encourage children to be the artist, think critically and creatively, not replicate what has already been made. Our resources will highlight specific artists and suggest ways students can respond to an artist’s work (the concept or idea) without creating a copy of the artist’s work.

For example, when Monet painted his water lilies series, he wanted to capture nature’s beauty, observing the changing light and textures of a scene. Instead of children copying Monet’s water lilies they could create a drawing or painting that captures the beauty of a place that is special to them.

More information about these resources will be released closer to the exhibition date.

For Teachers

In the Classroom

You will be able to access online resources that respond to the exhibition. These will provide suggestions for responding to works in the exhibition and help you prepare for your visit.

More information about these resources will be released closer to the exhibition date.

Resources