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Due to the long lines today, we won’t be able to accommodate visitors who queue for our Matisse show after 4:30pm. The exhibition closes today at 5:30pm.

On loan from The Cleveland Museum of Art, “Interior with an Etruscan Vase” is on view in “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Painted in 1940, approximately six months after the outbreak of World War II, “Interior with an Etruscan Vase” offers a glimpse into Matisse’s studio and practice during this turbulent moment. Living and working in Nice at the Hôtel Régina, Matisse carefully composed this richly appointed interior, transforming his surroundings into a sanctuary of beauty and contemplation. Exuberant, overgrown plants blossom into an indoor garden, their leafy forms framing the gentle curves of the seated model and finding a visual echo in the vegetal motifs of the Etruscan vase.

Though blackout curtains—mandatory in wartime France—are drawn across the windows, radiant color continues to animate the scene, from the vivid reds of the hanging textile at left to the scattered fruits atop the black table and the brightly patterned garments worn by the model.

Seated comfortably at the table, the model appears serenely removed from the turmoil unfolding beyond the studio walls. As in many works Matisse painted during World War II, he constructs an image of calm, beauty, and refuge amid the tragedies engulfing France and Europe.

Yet this painting would become directly entangled in the conflict. Confiscated in 1940 by the Nazis from Matisse’s dealer Paul Rosenberg under the direction of Hermann Göring, the work was later recovered by Allied forces—the “Monuments Men”—in 1946 and ultimately restituted to Rosenberg.

Interior with an Etruscan Vase, 1940
Oil on canvas
29 x 42 1/2 inches (73.7 x 108 cm)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund (1952.153)

On loan from The Cleveland Museum of Art, “Interior with an Etruscan Vase” is on view in “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Painted in 1940, approximately six months after the outbreak of World War II, “Interior with an Etruscan Vase” offers a glimpse into Matisse’s studio and practice during this turbulent moment. Living and working in Nice at the Hôtel Régina, Matisse carefully composed this richly appointed interior, transforming his surroundings into a sanctuary of beauty and contemplation. Exuberant, overgrown plants blossom into an indoor garden, their leafy forms framing the gentle curves of the seated model and finding a visual echo in the vegetal motifs of the Etruscan vase.

Though blackout curtains—mandatory in wartime France—are drawn across the windows, radiant color continues to animate the scene, from the vivid reds of the hanging textile at left to the scattered fruits atop the black table and the brightly patterned garments worn by the model.

Seated comfortably at the table, the model appears serenely removed from the turmoil unfolding beyond the studio walls. As in many works Matisse painted during World War II, he constructs an image of calm, beauty, and refuge amid the tragedies engulfing France and Europe.

Yet this painting would become directly entangled in the conflict. Confiscated in 1940 by the Nazis from Matisse’s dealer Paul Rosenberg under the direction of Hermann Göring, the work was later recovered by Allied forces—the “Monuments Men”—in 1946 and ultimately restituted to Rosenberg.

Interior with an Etruscan Vase, 1940
Oil on canvas
29 x 42 1/2 inches (73.7 x 108 cm)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund (1952.153)

On loan from The Cleveland Museum of Art, “Interior with an Etruscan Vase” is on view in “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Painted in 1940, approximately six months after the outbreak of World War II, “Interior with an Etruscan Vase” offers a glimpse into Matisse’s studio and practice during this turbulent moment. Living and working in Nice at the Hôtel Régina, Matisse carefully composed this richly appointed interior, transforming his surroundings into a sanctuary of beauty and contemplation. Exuberant, overgrown plants blossom into an indoor garden, their leafy forms framing the gentle curves of the seated model and finding a visual echo in the vegetal motifs of the Etruscan vase.

Though blackout curtains—mandatory in wartime France—are drawn across the windows, radiant color continues to animate the scene, from the vivid reds of the hanging textile at left to the scattered fruits atop the black table and the brightly patterned garments worn by the model.

Seated comfortably at the table, the model appears serenely removed from the turmoil unfolding beyond the studio walls. As in many works Matisse painted during World War II, he constructs an image of calm, beauty, and refuge amid the tragedies engulfing France and Europe.

Yet this painting would become directly entangled in the conflict. Confiscated in 1940 by the Nazis from Matisse’s dealer Paul Rosenberg under the direction of Hermann Göring, the work was later recovered by Allied forces—the “Monuments Men”—in 1946 and ultimately restituted to Rosenberg.

Interior with an Etruscan Vase, 1940
Oil on canvas
29 x 42 1/2 inches (73.7 x 108 cm)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund (1952.153)

Only a few more days to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” at the gallery in New York!

Featuring over fifty paintings, works on paper, and sculpture by Henri Matisse on loan from museums, foundations, and private collections, the exhibition traces Matisse’s investigation of form in two and three dimensions. Although Acquavella has dealt in exceptional works by Matisse for over sixty years, this marks the gallery’s first exhibition devoted to the French artist since 1973.

The show closes at 5:30pm on Friday, May 22nd.

Photo by @viskohatfield

When Matisse left Paris for Nice in the South of France in 1917, he began working with the 19-year-old Parisian model Antoinette Arnoud, who would become his primary model for the next two and a half years. Moving away from his somber palette and angular aesthetic of the war years, in Nice Matisse adopted brighter colors, a softer touch, and a sense of decorative richness in his paintings. In the interiors of Matisse’s hotel rooms in Nice, the stylish Antoinette elegantly posed for Matisse wearing beautiful outfits and elaborate hats, several of which the artist fashioned for his model.

Matisse’s 1919 portrait of Antoinette, “Woman with a Flowered Hat,” is on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through this Friday, May 22nd.

“Woman with a Flowered Hat,” 1919
Oil on canvas, 23 1/8 x 19 1/2 inches (58.7 x 49.5 cm)
Private Collection
© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

When Matisse left Paris for Nice in the South of France in 1917, he began working with the 19-year-old Parisian model Antoinette Arnoud, who would become his primary model for the next two and a half years. Moving away from his somber palette and angular aesthetic of the war years, in Nice Matisse adopted brighter colors, a softer touch, and a sense of decorative richness in his paintings. In the interiors of Matisse’s hotel rooms in Nice, the stylish Antoinette elegantly posed for Matisse wearing beautiful outfits and elaborate hats, several of which the artist fashioned for his model.

Matisse’s 1919 portrait of Antoinette, “Woman with a Flowered Hat,” is on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through this Friday, May 22nd.

“Woman with a Flowered Hat,” 1919
Oil on canvas, 23 1/8 x 19 1/2 inches (58.7 x 49.5 cm)
Private Collection
© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

When Matisse left Paris for Nice in the South of France in 1917, he began working with the 19-year-old Parisian model Antoinette Arnoud, who would become his primary model for the next two and a half years. Moving away from his somber palette and angular aesthetic of the war years, in Nice Matisse adopted brighter colors, a softer touch, and a sense of decorative richness in his paintings. In the interiors of Matisse’s hotel rooms in Nice, the stylish Antoinette elegantly posed for Matisse wearing beautiful outfits and elaborate hats, several of which the artist fashioned for his model.

Matisse’s 1919 portrait of Antoinette, “Woman with a Flowered Hat,” is on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through this Friday, May 22nd.

“Woman with a Flowered Hat,” 1919
Oil on canvas, 23 1/8 x 19 1/2 inches (58.7 x 49.5 cm)
Private Collection
© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Listen to art historian Elizabeth Cowling discuss Matisse’s work with the model Henriette Darricarrère in the 1920s. A dancer, actress, and muse for Matisse, Henriette inspired a new approach to the nude in his work in both painting and sculpture.

Cowling, who has written extensively on Matisse, contributed an essay to our publication “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” which accompanies our exhibition. The book is available for purchase on our website or in person at the gallery.

“Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” is on view through this Friday, May 22nd!

Video produced and edited by Ryan Leahey @ryletter
Cinematography by Sam Sielen @fathomcamera

Thank you, Alfred MacAdam for your review in the @brooklynrail of our Matisse exhibition!

Describing the show as a “historical tour de force,” MacAdam discusses several of the works in the exhibition in his review.

“On the second floor, the portrait Mademoiselle Yvonne Landsberg (1914) is another masterful act of reimagination: here Matisse utterly transforms portraiture. Ms. Landsberg, demurely posed with her hands crossed over her lap, is either standing or perched precariously on a tall chair. Her face is reduced to a few lines, and all around her swirl whirling lines of force, as if she emanated some strange electricity… Matisse takes a cliché and turns it into something new and wonderful.

...

It is in his bronzes that Matisse most dramatically shows his abilities as a genuinely original innovator, not just a reinventor of traditional compositions. The five “Jeannette” bronzes created between 1910 and 1913, small in scale—the largest is just 24 by 10 by 11 inches—demonstrate Matisse’s evolving freedom from tradition more directly than what we find in his paintings. Jeannette I (1910) is quite representational in a conventional sense, but by the time we get to Jeannette V (1913), the subject’s face has been thoroughly abstracted, transformed into a chunky mask. The “Backs” series shows us this trajectory as well. In these four iconic and increasingly abstracted relief sculptures Matisse challenges Michelangelo’s Young Slave, reconfiguring the idea of the figure embedded in the medium—marble for Michelangelo, bronze for Matisse.

The Acquavella Matisse show is a rare opportunity to catch up on a master. Best absorbed chronologically, the exhibit is a historical tour de force.”

For the full review, please see the link in our bio!

Thank you, Alfred MacAdam for your review in the @brooklynrail of our Matisse exhibition!

Describing the show as a “historical tour de force,” MacAdam discusses several of the works in the exhibition in his review.

“On the second floor, the portrait Mademoiselle Yvonne Landsberg (1914) is another masterful act of reimagination: here Matisse utterly transforms portraiture. Ms. Landsberg, demurely posed with her hands crossed over her lap, is either standing or perched precariously on a tall chair. Her face is reduced to a few lines, and all around her swirl whirling lines of force, as if she emanated some strange electricity… Matisse takes a cliché and turns it into something new and wonderful.

...

It is in his bronzes that Matisse most dramatically shows his abilities as a genuinely original innovator, not just a reinventor of traditional compositions. The five “Jeannette” bronzes created between 1910 and 1913, small in scale—the largest is just 24 by 10 by 11 inches—demonstrate Matisse’s evolving freedom from tradition more directly than what we find in his paintings. Jeannette I (1910) is quite representational in a conventional sense, but by the time we get to Jeannette V (1913), the subject’s face has been thoroughly abstracted, transformed into a chunky mask. The “Backs” series shows us this trajectory as well. In these four iconic and increasingly abstracted relief sculptures Matisse challenges Michelangelo’s Young Slave, reconfiguring the idea of the figure embedded in the medium—marble for Michelangelo, bronze for Matisse.

The Acquavella Matisse show is a rare opportunity to catch up on a master. Best absorbed chronologically, the exhibit is a historical tour de force.”

For the full review, please see the link in our bio!

Thank you, Alfred MacAdam for your review in the @brooklynrail of our Matisse exhibition!

Describing the show as a “historical tour de force,” MacAdam discusses several of the works in the exhibition in his review.

“On the second floor, the portrait Mademoiselle Yvonne Landsberg (1914) is another masterful act of reimagination: here Matisse utterly transforms portraiture. Ms. Landsberg, demurely posed with her hands crossed over her lap, is either standing or perched precariously on a tall chair. Her face is reduced to a few lines, and all around her swirl whirling lines of force, as if she emanated some strange electricity… Matisse takes a cliché and turns it into something new and wonderful.

...

It is in his bronzes that Matisse most dramatically shows his abilities as a genuinely original innovator, not just a reinventor of traditional compositions. The five “Jeannette” bronzes created between 1910 and 1913, small in scale—the largest is just 24 by 10 by 11 inches—demonstrate Matisse’s evolving freedom from tradition more directly than what we find in his paintings. Jeannette I (1910) is quite representational in a conventional sense, but by the time we get to Jeannette V (1913), the subject’s face has been thoroughly abstracted, transformed into a chunky mask. The “Backs” series shows us this trajectory as well. In these four iconic and increasingly abstracted relief sculptures Matisse challenges Michelangelo’s Young Slave, reconfiguring the idea of the figure embedded in the medium—marble for Michelangelo, bronze for Matisse.

The Acquavella Matisse show is a rare opportunity to catch up on a master. Best absorbed chronologically, the exhibit is a historical tour de force.”

For the full review, please see the link in our bio!

This is the last Saturday to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”! The gallery is open today, May 16th, until 6pm.

Photo by @viskohatfield

Thank you, Nate Freeman, for highlighting our Matisse exhibition in @vanityfair’s guide of art to see in Manhattan right now!

He writes:

“The attendees at the British Museum cocktail party, surrounded by masterworks of 20th-century art, couldn’t help but gush about one single gallery show on view in New York City. That would be “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” at Acquavella Galleries on the Upper East Side. The multigenerational art-dealing family has sold many Matisses throughout the decades, and borrowed many of them back for an exhibition that’s basically unheard of these days at a commercial gallery. There are 50 works. One hundred people can be inside at one time. Nothing is for sale.

Walking up 79th Street on Thursday morning, I saw a line down the stairs that extended most of the way to the Park. I don’t know how to convey how strange that is-for an exhibition of an Impressionist painter at a townhouse gallery off Madison to have a Banksy-esque line of influencer-status length.

Inside, in the first gallery, is Odalisque couché aux magnolias. It’s a stunner that was last seen in public when it sold for $80.75 million at Christie’s, consigned by the estate of Peggy and David Rockefeller.”

Images:

Photo of “Odalisque couché aux magnolias” by Visko Hatfield, shot for Christie’s from the sale of the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller.

Install shots featuring “Odalisque couché aux magnolias”.
© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Thank you, Nate Freeman, for highlighting our Matisse exhibition in @vanityfair’s guide of art to see in Manhattan right now!

He writes:

“The attendees at the British Museum cocktail party, surrounded by masterworks of 20th-century art, couldn’t help but gush about one single gallery show on view in New York City. That would be “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” at Acquavella Galleries on the Upper East Side. The multigenerational art-dealing family has sold many Matisses throughout the decades, and borrowed many of them back for an exhibition that’s basically unheard of these days at a commercial gallery. There are 50 works. One hundred people can be inside at one time. Nothing is for sale.

Walking up 79th Street on Thursday morning, I saw a line down the stairs that extended most of the way to the Park. I don’t know how to convey how strange that is-for an exhibition of an Impressionist painter at a townhouse gallery off Madison to have a Banksy-esque line of influencer-status length.

Inside, in the first gallery, is Odalisque couché aux magnolias. It’s a stunner that was last seen in public when it sold for $80.75 million at Christie’s, consigned by the estate of Peggy and David Rockefeller.”

Images:

Photo of “Odalisque couché aux magnolias” by Visko Hatfield, shot for Christie’s from the sale of the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller.

Install shots featuring “Odalisque couché aux magnolias”.
© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Thank you, Nate Freeman, for highlighting our Matisse exhibition in @vanityfair’s guide of art to see in Manhattan right now!

He writes:

“The attendees at the British Museum cocktail party, surrounded by masterworks of 20th-century art, couldn’t help but gush about one single gallery show on view in New York City. That would be “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” at Acquavella Galleries on the Upper East Side. The multigenerational art-dealing family has sold many Matisses throughout the decades, and borrowed many of them back for an exhibition that’s basically unheard of these days at a commercial gallery. There are 50 works. One hundred people can be inside at one time. Nothing is for sale.

Walking up 79th Street on Thursday morning, I saw a line down the stairs that extended most of the way to the Park. I don’t know how to convey how strange that is-for an exhibition of an Impressionist painter at a townhouse gallery off Madison to have a Banksy-esque line of influencer-status length.

Inside, in the first gallery, is Odalisque couché aux magnolias. It’s a stunner that was last seen in public when it sold for $80.75 million at Christie’s, consigned by the estate of Peggy and David Rockefeller.”

Images:

Photo of “Odalisque couché aux magnolias” by Visko Hatfield, shot for Christie’s from the sale of the collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller.

Install shots featuring “Odalisque couché aux magnolias”.
© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” - Henri Matisse

Layered with harmonious rhythms of pattern, form, and color, “Harmony in Yellow” was painted in late 1927–early 1928, shortly after Matisse moved to a larger top-floor apartment at 1 place Charles-Félix in Nice. With more space in which to work and a large studio window flooding the room with light, Matisse embarked enthusiastically on this ambitious composition.

Working with a new model, Zita, whom he felt epitomized the spirit of the exotic odalisque, Matisse theatrically constructed this richly orchestrated setting with cascading draperies and exquisitely embellished still-life elements. 

In a variation on the theme, Matisse painted the closely related composition “Odalisques Playing Checkers” in 1928, featuring many of the same patterns and objects drawn from his collection of treasured objects.

Both “Harmony in Yellow” and “Odalisques Playing Checkers” are on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Harmonie jaune [Harmony in Yellow]
1927-28
Oil on canvas
34 5/8 x 34 5/8 inches (88 x 88 cm)
Private Collection

Odalisques jouant aux dames [Odalisques Playing Checkers]
1928
Oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 29 inches (55 x 74 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” - Henri Matisse

Layered with harmonious rhythms of pattern, form, and color, “Harmony in Yellow” was painted in late 1927–early 1928, shortly after Matisse moved to a larger top-floor apartment at 1 place Charles-Félix in Nice. With more space in which to work and a large studio window flooding the room with light, Matisse embarked enthusiastically on this ambitious composition.

Working with a new model, Zita, whom he felt epitomized the spirit of the exotic odalisque, Matisse theatrically constructed this richly orchestrated setting with cascading draperies and exquisitely embellished still-life elements. 

In a variation on the theme, Matisse painted the closely related composition “Odalisques Playing Checkers” in 1928, featuring many of the same patterns and objects drawn from his collection of treasured objects.

Both “Harmony in Yellow” and “Odalisques Playing Checkers” are on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Harmonie jaune [Harmony in Yellow]
1927-28
Oil on canvas
34 5/8 x 34 5/8 inches (88 x 88 cm)
Private Collection

Odalisques jouant aux dames [Odalisques Playing Checkers]
1928
Oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 29 inches (55 x 74 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” - Henri Matisse

Layered with harmonious rhythms of pattern, form, and color, “Harmony in Yellow” was painted in late 1927–early 1928, shortly after Matisse moved to a larger top-floor apartment at 1 place Charles-Félix in Nice. With more space in which to work and a large studio window flooding the room with light, Matisse embarked enthusiastically on this ambitious composition.

Working with a new model, Zita, whom he felt epitomized the spirit of the exotic odalisque, Matisse theatrically constructed this richly orchestrated setting with cascading draperies and exquisitely embellished still-life elements. 

In a variation on the theme, Matisse painted the closely related composition “Odalisques Playing Checkers” in 1928, featuring many of the same patterns and objects drawn from his collection of treasured objects.

Both “Harmony in Yellow” and “Odalisques Playing Checkers” are on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Harmonie jaune [Harmony in Yellow]
1927-28
Oil on canvas
34 5/8 x 34 5/8 inches (88 x 88 cm)
Private Collection

Odalisques jouant aux dames [Odalisques Playing Checkers]
1928
Oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 29 inches (55 x 74 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” - Henri Matisse

Layered with harmonious rhythms of pattern, form, and color, “Harmony in Yellow” was painted in late 1927–early 1928, shortly after Matisse moved to a larger top-floor apartment at 1 place Charles-Félix in Nice. With more space in which to work and a large studio window flooding the room with light, Matisse embarked enthusiastically on this ambitious composition.

Working with a new model, Zita, whom he felt epitomized the spirit of the exotic odalisque, Matisse theatrically constructed this richly orchestrated setting with cascading draperies and exquisitely embellished still-life elements. 

In a variation on the theme, Matisse painted the closely related composition “Odalisques Playing Checkers” in 1928, featuring many of the same patterns and objects drawn from his collection of treasured objects.

Both “Harmony in Yellow” and “Odalisques Playing Checkers” are on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Harmonie jaune [Harmony in Yellow]
1927-28
Oil on canvas
34 5/8 x 34 5/8 inches (88 x 88 cm)
Private Collection

Odalisques jouant aux dames [Odalisques Playing Checkers]
1928
Oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 29 inches (55 x 74 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” - Henri Matisse

Layered with harmonious rhythms of pattern, form, and color, “Harmony in Yellow” was painted in late 1927–early 1928, shortly after Matisse moved to a larger top-floor apartment at 1 place Charles-Félix in Nice. With more space in which to work and a large studio window flooding the room with light, Matisse embarked enthusiastically on this ambitious composition.

Working with a new model, Zita, whom he felt epitomized the spirit of the exotic odalisque, Matisse theatrically constructed this richly orchestrated setting with cascading draperies and exquisitely embellished still-life elements. 

In a variation on the theme, Matisse painted the closely related composition “Odalisques Playing Checkers” in 1928, featuring many of the same patterns and objects drawn from his collection of treasured objects.

Both “Harmony in Yellow” and “Odalisques Playing Checkers” are on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Harmonie jaune [Harmony in Yellow]
1927-28
Oil on canvas
34 5/8 x 34 5/8 inches (88 x 88 cm)
Private Collection

Odalisques jouant aux dames [Odalisques Playing Checkers]
1928
Oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 29 inches (55 x 74 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The entire arrangement of my picture is expressive; the place occupied by the figures, the empty spaces around them, the proportions, everything has its share.” - Henri Matisse

Layered with harmonious rhythms of pattern, form, and color, “Harmony in Yellow” was painted in late 1927–early 1928, shortly after Matisse moved to a larger top-floor apartment at 1 place Charles-Félix in Nice. With more space in which to work and a large studio window flooding the room with light, Matisse embarked enthusiastically on this ambitious composition.

Working with a new model, Zita, whom he felt epitomized the spirit of the exotic odalisque, Matisse theatrically constructed this richly orchestrated setting with cascading draperies and exquisitely embellished still-life elements. 

In a variation on the theme, Matisse painted the closely related composition “Odalisques Playing Checkers” in 1928, featuring many of the same patterns and objects drawn from his collection of treasured objects.

Both “Harmony in Yellow” and “Odalisques Playing Checkers” are on view in our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” through May 22 in New York.

Harmonie jaune [Harmony in Yellow]
1927-28
Oil on canvas
34 5/8 x 34 5/8 inches (88 x 88 cm)
Private Collection

Odalisques jouant aux dames [Odalisques Playing Checkers]
1928
Oil on canvas
21 1/2 x 29 inches (55 x 74 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“I made sculpture because what interested me in painting was the clarification of my ideas. I changed medium and worked in clay as a respite from painting when I had done absolutely all that I could for the moment. Which is to say that it was always for the purpose of organization. It was done to give order to my feelings, to seek a method that completely suited me. When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”
—Henri Matisse

In our exhibition “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the French artist’s sculptures are centrally featured in each of the show’s four galleries. Exhibited in conversation with Matisse’s paintings, the show highlights the artist’s interdisciplinary approach and the dialogue between his two- and three-dimensional work.

While Matisse is widely celebrated as unparalleled in his mastery of color, his experimentation with form was equally central to his artistic pursuits.

In each chapter of his career, Matisse worked to refine and essentialize his approach to form and the figure. Simplified, rhythmic forms, often inspired by the graceful, flowing lines of the arabesque, were integral to Matisse’s lifelong pursuit of harmony and balance in his art. 

Working across mediums aided Matisse in his search for what he called a “clarity of expression.” In his own words: “When I found it in sculpture, it helped me in painting.”

There are only ten days left to catch “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony”!

The gallery is open Monday-Saturday until the show closes on May 22nd.

“A Romanian blouse does not belong to any period. All the peasant clothes are passed down from century to century without going out of fashion.” — YSL

Textiles and fabrics played an important role in Matisse’s life and his art, inspiring formal experimentation throughout his career. The painter was born into a town that was a center of the textile industry in northern France and he developed a deep interest in fabrics from a very young age. Collecting textiles and costumes throughout his life, Matisse kept a “working library” that he and his models would draw from as the artist theatrically set the stage for his compositions in the studio.

In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Matisse made a cycle of drawings and paintings featuring the Romanian blouse’s intricate embroidery and embellished details. Two of these drawings are on view in “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” up at the gallery through May 22nd.

The French couturier Yves Saint Laurent was inspired by modern art throughout his career, and particularly by Matisse’s use of color and pattern. This influence can be seen most clearly in the designer’s interpretation of Matisse’s series of works featuring Romanian folk blouses, with YSL designing several haute couture collections that made direct references to Matisse’s paintings and drawings on the theme.

Later this year, the Matisse Museum in Nice and the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Paris are collaborating on an exhibition dedicated to the two creative giants, which will be on view in Nice this summer from June 17 - September 28th.

Images:

Henri Matisse
“The Romanian Blouse,” 1940
Oil on canvas, 36 1/4 x 28 3/4 inches
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris

Henri Matisse
“Woman in a Romanian Blouse,” 1938
Charcoal on paper, 24 x 16 inches
Private Collection

Henri Matisse
“The Dream,” 1939
Charcoal and estompe on paper, 24 x 16 1/8 inches
Private Collection

Alek Wek modeling a Matisse-inspired evening ensemble from Yves Saint Laurent from their haute couture collection Spring / Summer 2002

“One tone alone is only one color, two tones are a chord, that is life.” — Henri Matisse

In 1910, Matisse painted a group of four canvases devoted to geraniums in simple terracotta pots—a motif he had first explored during his Fauve period in 1906 in “Still Life with Geranium” (now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago).

In “The Geranium,” on view in “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the plant is just beginning to bloom. Its pink petals and vivid green leaves are delicately articulated, some of their edges marked by incised lines Matisse carved into the painted surface with the back of his brush. While related compositions set the geranium against patterned textiles or decorative wallpapers, here the artist opts for a deceptively spare ground: a luminous field built from layered violets, magentas, and cobalt blues.

A meditation on chromatic intensity and balance, “The Geranium” exemplifies Matisse’s singular ability to orchestrate color—transforming a modest subject into a resonant harmony of tones.

In our exhibition, the painting is paired with the sculpture “La Serpentine” (1909), where the sinuous arc of the plant’s stem finds a sculptural echo in the elongated torso of the bronze nude.

The Serpentine, 1909
Bronze, edition of 10
22 1/4 × 11 × 7 1/2 inches (56.5 × 28 × 19 cm)
Private Collection

The Geranium, 1910
Oil on canvas
17 7/8 × 21 5/8 inches (45.4 × 54.9 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“One tone alone is only one color, two tones are a chord, that is life.” — Henri Matisse

In 1910, Matisse painted a group of four canvases devoted to geraniums in simple terracotta pots—a motif he had first explored during his Fauve period in 1906 in “Still Life with Geranium” (now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago).

In “The Geranium,” on view in “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the plant is just beginning to bloom. Its pink petals and vivid green leaves are delicately articulated, some of their edges marked by incised lines Matisse carved into the painted surface with the back of his brush. While related compositions set the geranium against patterned textiles or decorative wallpapers, here the artist opts for a deceptively spare ground: a luminous field built from layered violets, magentas, and cobalt blues.

A meditation on chromatic intensity and balance, “The Geranium” exemplifies Matisse’s singular ability to orchestrate color—transforming a modest subject into a resonant harmony of tones.

In our exhibition, the painting is paired with the sculpture “La Serpentine” (1909), where the sinuous arc of the plant’s stem finds a sculptural echo in the elongated torso of the bronze nude.

The Serpentine, 1909
Bronze, edition of 10
22 1/4 × 11 × 7 1/2 inches (56.5 × 28 × 19 cm)
Private Collection

The Geranium, 1910
Oil on canvas
17 7/8 × 21 5/8 inches (45.4 × 54.9 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“One tone alone is only one color, two tones are a chord, that is life.” — Henri Matisse

In 1910, Matisse painted a group of four canvases devoted to geraniums in simple terracotta pots—a motif he had first explored during his Fauve period in 1906 in “Still Life with Geranium” (now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago).

In “The Geranium,” on view in “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony,” the plant is just beginning to bloom. Its pink petals and vivid green leaves are delicately articulated, some of their edges marked by incised lines Matisse carved into the painted surface with the back of his brush. While related compositions set the geranium against patterned textiles or decorative wallpapers, here the artist opts for a deceptively spare ground: a luminous field built from layered violets, magentas, and cobalt blues.

A meditation on chromatic intensity and balance, “The Geranium” exemplifies Matisse’s singular ability to orchestrate color—transforming a modest subject into a resonant harmony of tones.

In our exhibition, the painting is paired with the sculpture “La Serpentine” (1909), where the sinuous arc of the plant’s stem finds a sculptural echo in the elongated torso of the bronze nude.

The Serpentine, 1909
Bronze, edition of 10
22 1/4 × 11 × 7 1/2 inches (56.5 × 28 × 19 cm)
Private Collection

The Geranium, 1910
Oil on canvas
17 7/8 × 21 5/8 inches (45.4 × 54.9 cm)
Private Collection

© 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York