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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
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsPaintings
When MFA curator Philip Hendy acquired this work in 1931, critics considered it a shocking example of contemporary French painting. He bought twenty-four works, including Carmelina, for the “Reserve” collection—objects intended for study, but deemed unsuitable for display.
What made it shocking? With her direct gaze and starkly naked figure painted in boldly modeled tones, Carmelina is a confrontation between the posed model and the artist—visible in the mirror at the back of the studio.
What made it shocking? With her direct gaze and starkly naked figure painted in boldly modeled tones, Carmelina is a confrontation between the posed model and the artist—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.