Modern art giants welcomed at COD in the heart of Tirana

A major international art exhibition featuring works by some of the most celebrated names in visual art opens today, May 19, at the Center for Openness and Dialogue (COD) in Tirana. Titled From Bohemianism to Eternity, the exhibition showcases masterpieces by artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Henri Matisse, Edgar Degas, Tamara de Lempicka, and Kees van Dongen.

Organized in collaboration with the MTA Foundation and the Embassy of Israel, the collection spans significant movements in art history—including Modern Art, Fauvism, Art Deco, and the Avant-Garde—offering an exceptional view of artworks that have shaped global artistic heritage.

Highlights include Van Dongen’s striking portrait of Marcelle Léoni and Modigliani’s painting of the young Swedish woman Annie Bjarne. Sculptural works also feature prominently, such as Edgar Degas’ iconic Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, clothed in a real fabric tutu, and Henri Matisse’s bold plaster-and-bronze piece Aurora.

The exhibition also includes works by pioneering Hungarian modernists like Béla Kádár, Lajos Tihanyi, Joseph Csáky, and Hugo Scheiber, as well as leading figures from the German avant-garde including Gabriele Münter, Hanns Bolz, Heinrich Nauen, Friedrich Gotsch, Boris Kleint, Oskar Moll, and Max Ackermann.

Prime Minister Edi Rama shared images from the exhibition on social media ahead of its public opening this afternoon, calling it “a unique exhibition at COD.”

This exhibition is considered one of the most significant ever held in the Albanian capital, bringing global art treasures to a local audience. It will remain open for two weeks.