Please give it a try! (linux64 conda builds are available on the tacaswell anaconda.org channel)
https://github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib/releases/tag/v1.5.0rc1
This release contains many new features. The highlights include:
- the object oriented API will now automatically re-draw the figure when working in the command line - automatic unpacking of labeled data into most plotting functions - arbitrary style cycling - four new perceptually linear color maps - mouse-over for pixel values with `imshow` - many new rcparams
In addition there are significant improvements to `nbagg` and a complete overhaul of the c++ bindings to AGG.
Please see the drafts of the [full whats new]( http://matplotlib.org/devdocs/users/whats_new.html#new-in-matplotlib-1-5) and [api changes]( http://matplotlib.org/devdocs/api/api_changes.html#changes-in-1-5-0)