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Carmelina
Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)
1903
Medium/Technique
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
81.3 x 59 cm (32 x 23 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Tompkins Collection—Arthur Gordon Tompkins Fund
Accession NumberRES.32.14
OUT ON LOAN
On display at Foundation Beyeler, September 22, 2024 – January 26, 2025
On display at Foundation Beyeler, September 22, 2024 – January 26, 2025
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
Matisse represented the female nude many times, both in painting and in sculpture. In this striking early work, the rounded forms of Carmelina's body, strongly modeled in light and dark, stand out almost in relief against the pattern of rectangular shapes behind her. The subject of the nude, usually relaxed and seductive, here becomes a confrontation between the boldly posed model and the artist, who is visible in the mirror at the back of the studio.
InscriptionsLower left: Henri Matisse
ProvenanceBy 1912, Bernheim-Jeune, Paris [see note 1]. 1931, sold by Baron Shigetaro Fukushima (b. 1895 - d. 1960), Paris, to Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York; 1932, sold by Pierre Matisse Gallery to the MFA for $10,050 [see note 2]. (Accession Date: February 4, 1932)
NOTES:
[1] Bernheim-Jeune et Cie. lent the painting to the "Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition" (Grafton Galleries, London, October 5 - December 31, 1912), cat. no. 9. [2] MFA accession numbers RES.32.2-RES.32.18 were purchased for $10,050.
NOTES:
[1] Bernheim-Jeune et Cie. lent the painting to the "Second Post-Impressionist Exhibition" (Grafton Galleries, London, October 5 - December 31, 1912), cat. no. 9. [2] MFA accession numbers RES.32.2-RES.32.18 were purchased for $10,050.
Copyright© 2011 Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.