the Talented Monsieur Matisse
Henri Matisse is having a moment, it might be said, if this giant of 20th-century art has ever needed one. Still, the innovative installation that re-created The Red Studio (1911) at the Museum of Modern Art in New York drew delighted crowds all spring and summer—and rave reviews; no, it wasn’t kitsch. The appetite for the master’s art, it seems, never flags. And hard on its heels is another major exhibition, “Matisse in the 1930s”, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) where it opens on October 19 and will be up until January 29, 2023. Conceived in collaboration with the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris (where it will go afterward) and the Musée Matisse in Nice (its last stop), its expert curatorial team brings together Matthew Affron of the PMA, Cécile Debray of the Musée National Picasso-Paris and Claudine Grammont of the Musée Matisse.
It merits attention as the first exhibition to dive deeply into (1932), say, is one such instance), coming up with answers that were often fresh, often surprising. The show is bookended by a number of earlier and later works for context, and is accompanied by a handsome, informative catalogue that analyzes this fascinating story of discovery from multiple points of view.
