There are a lot of people who wish that art had simply stopped around 1911 or so. If it had, we would have been spared many of the monstrosities that modern art then proceeded to unleash — urinals in art galleries, randomly distributed paint, pickled animals, cans of the artist's excrement, etc. Of course, we would also have missed out on a lot of great stuff, but this conservative mind-set is definitely understandable at times.
A good way to enjoy such an alternative art universe is to visit "Pushkin: Masterpieces of French Paintings from the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow" now on at the Yokohama Museum of Art until September, when it will decamp to Kobe.
This is the kind of attractive, big name exhibition, sourced from one of the world's great museums that really can't fail to please, with works by some of the world's best-loved artists, though it should be said that, in light of the title's claim, not all of them are French. But I guess, if you are an artist, just having lived in France for a few years, makes you an honorary Frenchman.