At NSU Art Museum , William Glackens is side by side with Renoir

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s bright portraits and patchy brushstrokes made him a beloved icon of the modernist painters, and New York realist William Glackens was no exception.

Before his death in 1938, Glackens’ paintings ushered in an early, Americanled wave of modern art, but he owed much to Renoir’s French impressionism.

Just how much Renoir’s avant-garde paintings inspired Glackens is the subject of the NSU Art Museum’s new exhibit, “William J. Glackens and Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Affinities and Distinctions,” opening Oct. 21. Here are some things to know about the show.

Why was Renoir so inspirational?

The New York-based Glackens (1870-1938) mostly stuck to summer seashore scenes and crowded Manhattan intersections as inspiration. He often sketched entire scenes from memory, a throwback to his early photojournalism career illustrating for McClure’s magazine. But he became an unabashed Francophile after a 1895 visit to Paris, and grew fascinated with Renoir (1841-1919) after attending a 1908 show of 41 Renoir paintings at New York’s Durand-Ruel Gallery. Later, in 1912, Glackens snapped up a trove of European artworks in Paris, including paintings by Cezanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Renoir.

I get revisiting Renoir, but why William Glackens?

The NSU Art Museum owns a lot of Glackens originals. The museum’s upstairs Glackens Wing is filled with his paintings, and there are nearly 500 more in its private collection.

What’s on display for this exhibit?

There will be 25 paintings from the French impressionist on display with 25 late-period paintings from Glackens, tracking the profound influence Renoir had on the New York painter.

“William J. Glackens and Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Affinities and Distinctions” will open Oct. 21 at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd.Admission is $5-$12. Call 954-525-5500 or go to NSUArtMuseum.org.