Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917

July 18–October 11, 2010 In the time between Henri Matisse's (1869–1954) return from Morocco in 1913 and his departure for Nice in 1917, the artist produced some of the most demanding, experimental, and enigmatic works of his career—paintings that are abstracted and rigorously purged of descriptive detail, geometric and sharply composed, and dominated by shades of black and gray. Works from this period have typically been treated as unrelated to one another, as an aberration within the artist's development, or as a response to Cubism or World War I. Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917 moves beyond the surface of these paintings to examine their physical production and the essential context of Matisse's studio practice. Through this shift of focus, the exhibition reveals deep connections among these works and demonstrates their critical role in the artist's development at this time. Matisse himself acknowledged near the end of his life the significance of this period when he identified two works—Bathers by a River (1909–10, 1913, 1916–17) and The Moroccans (1915–16)—as among his most "pivotal." The importance of this moment resides not only in the formal qualities of the paintings but also in the physical nature of the pictures, each bearing the history of its manufacture. The exhibition includes approximately 120 paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints, primarily from the years of 1913–17, in the first sustained examination devoted to the work of this important period. To view images of these artworks, please visit the Online Collection at moma.org/collection. MoMA Audio is available free of charge courtesy of Bloomberg.

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Henri Matisse. The Back (III). 1913-16

Bronze, 6' 2 1/2" x 44" x 6" (189.2 x 112.4 x 15.2 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund © 2010 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:05

Henri Matisse. Bathers by a River. 1909–10, 1913, 1916–17

Oil on canvas. 102 1/2 x 154 3/16” (260 x 392 cm) The Art Institute of Chicago, Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection, 1953.158. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
02:00

MoMA painting conservator Michael Duffy discusses Henri Matisse's The Rose Marble Table, 1916

Oil on canvas, 57 1/2 x 38 1/4" (146 x 97 cm). Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund © 2010 Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:26

Henri Matisse. Garden at Issy. 1917

Oil on canvas. 51 1/8 x 35" (129.9 x 88.9 cm) Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:47

MoMA painting conservator Michael Duffy on Henri Matisse's The Moroccans, 1916

Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
00:48

Henri Matisse. Portrait of Auguste Pellerin (II). 1917

Oil on canvas. 59 x 37 7/8" (149.9 x 96.2 cm) Musée National d'Art Moderne/Centre de Création Industrielle, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Gift, 1982 © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:33

Henri Matisse. Bowl of Oranges. 1916

Oil on canvas. 21 1/4 x 25 5/8" (54 x 65.1 cm) Private collection © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:47

Henri Matisse. The Moroccans. 1916

Oil on canvas. 71 3/8" x 9' 2" (181.3 x 279.4 cm) The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Marx © 2010 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

12-03
01:58

Henri Matisse. For the Civil Prisoners of Bohain-en-Vermandois series. 1914-1915

Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:08

Henri Matisse. Still Life after Jan Davidsz. de Heem's "La Desserte". 1915

Oil on canvas. 71 1/4" x 7' 3" (180.9 x 220.8 cm) The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift and bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn and Samuel A. Marx, 1964 © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:59

Henri Matisse. Goldfish and Palette. 1914-15

Oil on canvas. 57 ¾ x 44 ¼” (146.5 x 112.4 cm) The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift and Bequest of Florene M. Schoenborn and Samuel A. Marx © 2010 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
02:29

Henri Matisse. Portrait of Yvonne Landsberg. 1914

Oil on canvas, 147.3 x 97.5 cm (58 x 38 3/8 in.) Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection, 1950. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:38

Henri Matisse. The Back (II). 1911-13

Bronze. 6' 2 1/4" x 47 5/8" x 6" (188.5 x 121 x 15.2 cm) The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund, 1956. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:40

MoMA sculpture conservator Lynda Zycherman on Henri Matisse's The Back (II), 1911-13

Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
00:46

Introduction to Matisse : Radical Invention, 1913-1917

Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:07

Henri Matisse. Bathers with a Turtle. 1907-08

Oil on canvas. 179.1 x 220.3 cm (70 1/2 x 87 3/4 in.) Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr., 24:1964. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:14

Henri Matisse. Blue Nude (Memory of Biskra). 1907

Oil on canvas. 92.1 x 140.4 cm (36 1/4 x 55 1/4 in.) The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Cone Collection. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Audio courtesy of Acoustiguide

12-03
01:35
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