Henri MATISSE (1869-1954)
See also : France The Woman Nude Orientalism Tabletop Bouquet French sculpture Midi
Chronology : 1907 1908 1911 1919 1920-1929 1923 1935 1937 1942 1970-1979
Chronology : 1907 1908 1911 1919 1920-1929 1923 1935 1937 1942 1970-1979
1907 Peonies in Collioure
2012 SOLD 19 M$ including premium
In 1905, two young painters dazzled by the light of Collioure open a new path in art. They are named Henri Matisse and André Derain. Since then, color supersedes drawing as the dominant element in the composition of a painting.
These new colorists immediately seek to vary the subjects, and flowers are ideal for their research. The vases, tablecloths and wallpapers complement unprecedented color balances.
On May 1 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas, 65 x 55 cm, painted by Matisse in Collioure in 1907, estimated $ 8M. This work showing a vase with peonies was admired by Félix Féneon who was the effective promoter of Fauvism.
The bouquets painted by Matisse at that time are highly appreciated on the art market. One of them, 81 x 66 cm, dated 1911, showing coucou flowers in an elegant vase on a table mat with blue and pink patterns close to abstraction, was sold € 36M including premium in February 2009 by Christie's and Pierre Bergé. This bid is memorable: it was the highest price in the famous Saint-Laurent - Bergé auction sales.
I invite you to see these peonies on the video shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was too conservative for this nice painting, made in the period of one of the deepest changes in the history of art. It was sold $ 19M including premium.
These new colorists immediately seek to vary the subjects, and flowers are ideal for their research. The vases, tablecloths and wallpapers complement unprecedented color balances.
On May 1 in New York, Christie's sells an oil on canvas, 65 x 55 cm, painted by Matisse in Collioure in 1907, estimated $ 8M. This work showing a vase with peonies was admired by Félix Féneon who was the effective promoter of Fauvism.
The bouquets painted by Matisse at that time are highly appreciated on the art market. One of them, 81 x 66 cm, dated 1911, showing coucou flowers in an elegant vase on a table mat with blue and pink patterns close to abstraction, was sold € 36M including premium in February 2009 by Christie's and Pierre Bergé. This bid is memorable: it was the highest price in the famous Saint-Laurent - Bergé auction sales.
I invite you to see these peonies on the video shared by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate was too conservative for this nice painting, made in the period of one of the deepest changes in the history of art. It was sold $ 19M including premium.
1908 Table Sculptures by Matisse
2018 SOLD for £ 15M including premium
Henri Matisse is one of the earliest artists to release the figurative arts from the realistic proportions of photography. He kneads the clay from 1899. His table sculptures allow him to watch the bold angles of view which will bring an expressive harmony to the disproportions. La Danse in 1909 is the spectacular culmination of this creative process. Matisse's clay nudes are to be compared to Meissonier's wax horses.
Matisse explores several paths in parallel including the pointillisme inspired by Signac and it is Fauvisme that raises its reputation in 1905. Soon afterward the first encounters of European artists with African tribal art convince him of the possibility to derogate from the forms of nature.
During his stays in Collioure Matisse frequently meets Maillol in Banyuls. Maillol endeavors to simplify the nude to achieve the purity in perfect proportions. They have complementary approaches that both release the nude from Rodin's muscular eroticism.
In 1907 in Collioure, Matisse designs Nu allongé I, 34 x 50 x 29 cm. The torsion of the body could evoke Rodin but the hypertrophied raised elbow announces a new style. This artwork will be nicknamed L'Aurore (dawn) by comparison of the robust attitude with the famous funerary marble by Michelangelo. In the same year his Nu bleu is a pictorial projection of the Nu allongé I. This painting will be often imitated by Picasso and inaugurates the lifelong competition between these two artists.
Matisse's priority is painting but he also makes bronzes, sparingly. During his lifetime only eleven bronzes of the Nu allongé I are cast, the last one being an artist's proof. They are distributed from 1908 to 1951 in no less than five different casts.
The first three bronzes were edited in Paris around 1908 by Bingen et Costenoble who were also working for Maillol. One of them is estimated £ 5M for sale by Phillips in London on March 8, lot 9. Two later copies had fetched a very high price at auction for their time : $ 8.4M by Christie's on November 9, 1999 for one of the two 1912 bronzes and $ 9.6M by Phillips on May 7, 2001 for one of the three 1930 bronzes.
Matisse explores several paths in parallel including the pointillisme inspired by Signac and it is Fauvisme that raises its reputation in 1905. Soon afterward the first encounters of European artists with African tribal art convince him of the possibility to derogate from the forms of nature.
During his stays in Collioure Matisse frequently meets Maillol in Banyuls. Maillol endeavors to simplify the nude to achieve the purity in perfect proportions. They have complementary approaches that both release the nude from Rodin's muscular eroticism.
In 1907 in Collioure, Matisse designs Nu allongé I, 34 x 50 x 29 cm. The torsion of the body could evoke Rodin but the hypertrophied raised elbow announces a new style. This artwork will be nicknamed L'Aurore (dawn) by comparison of the robust attitude with the famous funerary marble by Michelangelo. In the same year his Nu bleu is a pictorial projection of the Nu allongé I. This painting will be often imitated by Picasso and inaugurates the lifelong competition between these two artists.
Matisse's priority is painting but he also makes bronzes, sparingly. During his lifetime only eleven bronzes of the Nu allongé I are cast, the last one being an artist's proof. They are distributed from 1908 to 1951 in no less than five different casts.
The first three bronzes were edited in Paris around 1908 by Bingen et Costenoble who were also working for Maillol. One of them is estimated £ 5M for sale by Phillips in London on March 8, lot 9. Two later copies had fetched a very high price at auction for their time : $ 8.4M by Christie's on November 9, 1999 for one of the two 1912 bronzes and $ 9.6M by Phillips on May 7, 2001 for one of the three 1930 bronzes.
1911 Les Coucous, tapis bleu et rose by Matisse
2009 SOLD for € 36M including premium by Christie's
narrated in 2020
Born in northern France, Henri Matisse very early visited the local weaving workshops. Throughout his life, he will be a creator of forms on the most varied supports, overlapping figuration and abstraction.
Fauvism is a short but decisive phase during which he experiences the power of pure colors. Seeking exotic solutions, he travels to Algeria in 1906 and spends two months in Spain in 1910 studying Moorish art. At that time, collectors ahead of their time like Shchukin no longer support the traditional separation between art and decoration.
In 1910 in Madrid, Matisse bought in an antique shop a two-tone rug in fairly poor condition, whose arabesques were naturalistic without being identifiable. He was seduced by the expressive force of this anonymous textile, close by chance to the new style that he had developed for La Danse in 1909.
By varying the colors, he uses his rug as a decorative element in several paintings. In L'Atelier rose, oil on canvas 180 x 221 cm painted for Shchukin in 1911, it is spread over the large screen.
Les coucous - tapis bleu et rose, oil on canvas 81 x 66 cm painted in spring 1911, appears as a preparatory work for L'Atelier rose. On the table, the vase of primroses (coucous) is the pretext for this image, but the rug used as a tablecloth is indeed the main theme by its invitation to abstraction. The turquoise wall at the back is enhanced with pink reflections.
Yves Saint-Laurent saw in the image of this fabric a precursor to his own work. This painting which offers a link between two great designers went to be the most expensive lot of the sale of his collection by Christie's on February 23, 2009 : it was sold for € 36M including premium over a lower estimate of € 12M, lot 55.
Fauvism is a short but decisive phase during which he experiences the power of pure colors. Seeking exotic solutions, he travels to Algeria in 1906 and spends two months in Spain in 1910 studying Moorish art. At that time, collectors ahead of their time like Shchukin no longer support the traditional separation between art and decoration.
In 1910 in Madrid, Matisse bought in an antique shop a two-tone rug in fairly poor condition, whose arabesques were naturalistic without being identifiable. He was seduced by the expressive force of this anonymous textile, close by chance to the new style that he had developed for La Danse in 1909.
By varying the colors, he uses his rug as a decorative element in several paintings. In L'Atelier rose, oil on canvas 180 x 221 cm painted for Shchukin in 1911, it is spread over the large screen.
Les coucous - tapis bleu et rose, oil on canvas 81 x 66 cm painted in spring 1911, appears as a preparatory work for L'Atelier rose. On the table, the vase of primroses (coucous) is the pretext for this image, but the rug used as a tablecloth is indeed the main theme by its invitation to abstraction. The turquoise wall at the back is enhanced with pink reflections.
Yves Saint-Laurent saw in the image of this fabric a precursor to his own work. This painting which offers a link between two great designers went to be the most expensive lot of the sale of his collection by Christie's on February 23, 2009 : it was sold for € 36M including premium over a lower estimate of € 12M, lot 55.
1919 Floral Firework by Matisse
2010 SOLD 28.6 M$ including premium
In 1919, Europe is just emerging from war. It is a difficult time for Matisse, his private life and his art. Before 1914, he had entered a new path, emphasizing the harmony of colors that will be the passion of his artist's life. He feels however marginalized by his rejection of abstraction and cubism.
On July 14, French national (Bastille) day, he unleashes his hopes on a canvas 116 x 89 cm. A bouquet springs from a vase in an explosion of colors that immediately calls to fireworks and mingles with the more neutral wallpaper background. The image of this painting is shared by BBC News.
The subject and composition are typical of the still lifes of the master. The patriotic inspiration and the joy of colors make it an exceptional painting, estimated $ 18 million by Sotheby's. The sale takes place in New York on May 5.
Matisse fans are lucky: his Nude with blue cushion, which I discussed earlier in this group, is for sale the day before by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
The flowers showed in Matisse's colors are masterpieces of the early twentieth century art. The price recorded by Sotheby's, $ 28.6 million including premium, is excellent.
This lot could not compete with the cuckoos from the Yves Saint Laurent collection, sold last year € 35.9 million including premium by Christie's. Indeed, the cuckoos were dated 1911, one of the greatest periods of transformation in the history of art.
On July 14, French national (Bastille) day, he unleashes his hopes on a canvas 116 x 89 cm. A bouquet springs from a vase in an explosion of colors that immediately calls to fireworks and mingles with the more neutral wallpaper background. The image of this painting is shared by BBC News.
The subject and composition are typical of the still lifes of the master. The patriotic inspiration and the joy of colors make it an exceptional painting, estimated $ 18 million by Sotheby's. The sale takes place in New York on May 5.
Matisse fans are lucky: his Nude with blue cushion, which I discussed earlier in this group, is for sale the day before by Christie's.
POST SALE COMMENT
The flowers showed in Matisse's colors are masterpieces of the early twentieth century art. The price recorded by Sotheby's, $ 28.6 million including premium, is excellent.
This lot could not compete with the cuckoos from the Yves Saint Laurent collection, sold last year € 35.9 million including premium by Christie's. Indeed, the cuckoos were dated 1911, one of the greatest periods of transformation in the history of art.
1921 Two Young Women on the Balcony
2017 SOLD for $ 16.6M including premium
Henri Matisse is captivated by the light of Nice. In 1921 he does not yet have a permanent residence in that city. He spends several months at the Hôtel Méditerranée and works in his room where a large French window overlooks the Promenade des Anglais and the Baie des Anges.
On November 13 in New York, Christie's sells Les Régates de Nice, oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm painted in spring 1921, lot 18 Aestimated $ 12M.
According to the taste of the artist, this painting is well balanced both as an interior and exterior scene with the pleasant colors of the Midi, from the vase of flowers on the table to the small white sails of the regatta on the deep blue sea.
Two quiet young women enliven this intimate scene. Standing in the window, the very young Henriette is the new favorite model of the artist, succeeding in this role to Antoinette who is pregnant. She looks at the sea. Her long skirt and her hair cut in the bowl are typical of the fashion of the roaring twenties.
From the beginning of their collaboration the friendship is deep between the nice Henriette and the Matisse family. The other woman on the balcony is Marguerite, Henri's daughter, less visible, curled up in a large armchair because of her fragile health.
On November 13 in New York, Christie's sells Les Régates de Nice, oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm painted in spring 1921, lot 18 Aestimated $ 12M.
According to the taste of the artist, this painting is well balanced both as an interior and exterior scene with the pleasant colors of the Midi, from the vase of flowers on the table to the small white sails of the regatta on the deep blue sea.
Two quiet young women enliven this intimate scene. Standing in the window, the very young Henriette is the new favorite model of the artist, succeeding in this role to Antoinette who is pregnant. She looks at the sea. Her long skirt and her hair cut in the bowl are typical of the fashion of the roaring twenties.
From the beginning of their collaboration the friendship is deep between the nice Henriette and the Matisse family. The other woman on the balcony is Marguerite, Henri's daughter, less visible, curled up in a large armchair because of her fragile health.
1923 A Nice Farniente
2018 SOLD for $ 81M including premium
Installed in Nice after the war, Henri Matisse resumes his research of colors and compositions with a serenity that Paris could not bring him. With Antoinette and even better with Henriette, he maintains an intimate connivance with his models. Their body becomes the central element of the artwork.
Henriette poses complacently because she appreciates the beauty of her athletic body. In parallel to nude studies, Matisse stages her in orientalist attires that are a new excuse for the shimmer of colors in her surroundings. Her portraits exudes her confidence in the artist without inhibiting her sensuality.
On May 8 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 8 Odalisque couchée aux magnolias, oil on canvas 61 x 81 cm painted in 1923. The nice intimacy of this artwork had seduced David and Peggy Rockefeller.
The young woman enjoys the pleasures of idleness, ready to nap or just finishing it. She is reclining on a chaise longue probably in the gate of a veranda. She wears on her shoulders a light shirt completely opened to expose the naked chest to the beneficent sun of the Côte d'Azur.
The orientalist impression is brought by the Persian harem pants which loosely cover the lower part of her body and by the screen behind her whose right panel is centered on two large magnolia flowers.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
Henriette poses complacently because she appreciates the beauty of her athletic body. In parallel to nude studies, Matisse stages her in orientalist attires that are a new excuse for the shimmer of colors in her surroundings. Her portraits exudes her confidence in the artist without inhibiting her sensuality.
On May 8 in New York, Christie's sells as lot 8 Odalisque couchée aux magnolias, oil on canvas 61 x 81 cm painted in 1923. The nice intimacy of this artwork had seduced David and Peggy Rockefeller.
The young woman enjoys the pleasures of idleness, ready to nap or just finishing it. She is reclining on a chaise longue probably in the gate of a veranda. She wears on her shoulders a light shirt completely opened to expose the naked chest to the beneficent sun of the Côte d'Azur.
The orientalist impression is brought by the Persian harem pants which loosely cover the lower part of her body and by the screen behind her whose right panel is centered on two large magnolia flowers.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
1924 Henriette in the Studio
2014 SOLD 19.2 M$ including premium
After devoting his efforts to lead the avant-gardes, Matisse sought to develop an art altogether more emotional and more decorative. He needs a quieter life. He knows that he will meet this purpose in Nice, where he set up his studio permanently in 1921.
The war also had left its mark. This is the period of the come back of Matisse, Picasso, Derain, Vlaminck to classic styles. Matisse focuses on the theme of the timeless woman, in the nude and as an odalisque.
Picasso works mostly by imagination, but Matisse paints from nature. He gets as a model and assistant a young woman with perfect curves and proportions, Henriette Darricarrère, who works with him from 1920 to 1927. She loved music and art and Matisse encouraged her artistic talents.
This happy period of creation in the beautiful light of the Côte d' Azur has the effect of making the art of Matisse loved by the public who ever prefers simple drawings and bright colors and does not reject the use of visible geometric patterns.
On May 7 in New York, Sotheby's sells La séance du matin (the morning session), oil on canvas 74 x 61 cm painted in 1924, lot 8 of the catalog, estimated $ 20M.
Henriette busy to paint is dutifully sitting in front of another chair used as an easel. She turns her back to the window through which the clear blue of the sky and the bright blue of the Mediterranea can be seen. Her garment that is undoubtedly a night dress has vertical stripes that clash with the louvered window shutter, creating the strong point of the composition and drawing the attention to the character.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate has not been reached. This painting was sold for $ 19.2 million including premium.
The war also had left its mark. This is the period of the come back of Matisse, Picasso, Derain, Vlaminck to classic styles. Matisse focuses on the theme of the timeless woman, in the nude and as an odalisque.
Picasso works mostly by imagination, but Matisse paints from nature. He gets as a model and assistant a young woman with perfect curves and proportions, Henriette Darricarrère, who works with him from 1920 to 1927. She loved music and art and Matisse encouraged her artistic talents.
This happy period of creation in the beautiful light of the Côte d' Azur has the effect of making the art of Matisse loved by the public who ever prefers simple drawings and bright colors and does not reject the use of visible geometric patterns.
On May 7 in New York, Sotheby's sells La séance du matin (the morning session), oil on canvas 74 x 61 cm painted in 1924, lot 8 of the catalog, estimated $ 20M.
Henriette busy to paint is dutifully sitting in front of another chair used as an easel. She turns her back to the window through which the clear blue of the sky and the bright blue of the Mediterranea can be seen. Her garment that is undoubtedly a night dress has vertical stripes that clash with the louvered window shutter, creating the strong point of the composition and drawing the attention to the character.
POST SALE COMMENT
The estimate has not been reached. This painting was sold for $ 19.2 million including premium.
1924 Nude and Color by Matisse
2010 SOLD 15.1 M$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The main subject of the paintings by Matisse is the harmony of colors. Inspired by the interior design, he does not follow the way of Van Gogh, Gauguin or the Blaue Reiter. He assembles some themes where the observer does not contradict his choice of colors, such as fabrics, wallpaper or vases.
The buyer who paid € 36 million for a simple still life of flowers, 1911, 81 x 65 cm, had understood that the work of Matisse was one of the founding principles of the art of the twentieth century. This result was the highest price in the Yves Saint-Laurent sale, in February 2009 at Christie's.
The drawing of female nude was another specialty of the artist, also well-popularized in prints. The sharp and precise curves give life to the subject with great clarity.
Painted in 1924, a sitting nude with a blue cushion is a synthesis of all of this. The woman is well proportioned (which is not always the case in the works of this master) and the realistic color of the flesh is highlighting the background of the apartment. The model is caught in a moment of trust and relaxation, arms crossed above her head, one leg lifted.
This attractive and friendly oil on canvas, 72 x 58 cm, is estimated $ 20 million, for sale at Christie's in New York on May 4.
ADDENDUM
It is confirmed that there is a direct relationship between the arts of painting and of drawing in the work of Matisse! The black and white print entitled Nu au coussin bleu près d'une cheminée (Nude with blue cushion near a fireplace) had an almost identical drawing as that of our oil. A copy of this lithograph of 1925, image size 64 x 48 cm, was sold today, March 31, 54 K £ including premium at Christie's in London.
This information that I found by chance on the web reinforces my opinion about the importance of the painting which will go into auction on May 4.
POST SALE COMMENT
This painting has remained far below its estimate: it was sold $ 15.1 million including premium. It may have been disadvantaged by its small size.
The main subject of the paintings by Matisse is the harmony of colors. Inspired by the interior design, he does not follow the way of Van Gogh, Gauguin or the Blaue Reiter. He assembles some themes where the observer does not contradict his choice of colors, such as fabrics, wallpaper or vases.
The buyer who paid € 36 million for a simple still life of flowers, 1911, 81 x 65 cm, had understood that the work of Matisse was one of the founding principles of the art of the twentieth century. This result was the highest price in the Yves Saint-Laurent sale, in February 2009 at Christie's.
The drawing of female nude was another specialty of the artist, also well-popularized in prints. The sharp and precise curves give life to the subject with great clarity.
Painted in 1924, a sitting nude with a blue cushion is a synthesis of all of this. The woman is well proportioned (which is not always the case in the works of this master) and the realistic color of the flesh is highlighting the background of the apartment. The model is caught in a moment of trust and relaxation, arms crossed above her head, one leg lifted.
This attractive and friendly oil on canvas, 72 x 58 cm, is estimated $ 20 million, for sale at Christie's in New York on May 4.
ADDENDUM
It is confirmed that there is a direct relationship between the arts of painting and of drawing in the work of Matisse! The black and white print entitled Nu au coussin bleu près d'une cheminée (Nude with blue cushion near a fireplace) had an almost identical drawing as that of our oil. A copy of this lithograph of 1925, image size 64 x 48 cm, was sold today, March 31, 54 K £ including premium at Christie's in London.
This information that I found by chance on the web reinforces my opinion about the importance of the painting which will go into auction on May 4.
POST SALE COMMENT
This painting has remained far below its estimate: it was sold $ 15.1 million including premium. It may have been disadvantaged by its small size.
1935 Portrait au manteau bleu by Matisse
2008 SOLD for $ 22.4M incluant premium by Christie's
Link to catalogue.
1937 Odalisque by Matisse
2007 SOLD 33.6 M$ including premium by Christie's
1942 Danseuse dans le Fauteuil by Matisse
2010 SOLD for $ 21M including premium by Sotheby's
Link to catalogue.
1942 A Real Princess for Matisse
2015 SOLD for £ 15.8M including premium
Matisse's orientalist approach was the excuse for lush compositions where the balance of colors dominated over the detailed line. However, he was working with European and Slavic models.
Matisse certainly appreciated this gap in his art. In the summer of 1940, seeing by chance a young Turkish woman, he is seduced by the regularity of her oriental face. Nézy is 21 years old. Great-granddaughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid, she lives in exile in Nice with her grandmother who accepts that she sits for the artist.
Matisse became seriously ill. Emerging from a long hospitalization in May 1941, he returned to his workshop at the Hôtel Régina. Considering his healing as an unexpected luck, he goes back to an intense work, realizing many drawings of his two muses of that time, Lydia and Nézy.
Painted in January 1942, the Odalisque au fauteuil noir is a portrait of Nézy. This oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm is the culmination of the oriental theme by Matisse. The realistic depiction is limited to the face and arm along with a vase of flowers on a small table. Clothing and decor are a symphony of colors that anticipates the researches of the abstract expressionism.
The Odalisque was sold for £ 6.6M including premium at Christie's on 22 June 2004. It is estimated £ 9M, for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 3, lot 7.
Matisse certainly appreciated this gap in his art. In the summer of 1940, seeing by chance a young Turkish woman, he is seduced by the regularity of her oriental face. Nézy is 21 years old. Great-granddaughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid, she lives in exile in Nice with her grandmother who accepts that she sits for the artist.
Matisse became seriously ill. Emerging from a long hospitalization in May 1941, he returned to his workshop at the Hôtel Régina. Considering his healing as an unexpected luck, he goes back to an intense work, realizing many drawings of his two muses of that time, Lydia and Nézy.
Painted in January 1942, the Odalisque au fauteuil noir is a portrait of Nézy. This oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm is the culmination of the oriental theme by Matisse. The realistic depiction is limited to the face and arm along with a vase of flowers on a small table. Clothing and decor are a symphony of colors that anticipates the researches of the abstract expressionism.
The Odalisque was sold for £ 6.6M including premium at Christie's on 22 June 2004. It is estimated £ 9M, for sale by Sotheby's in London on February 3, lot 7.
(1930) - 1978 The Lengthy Creation of Matisse's Back
2010 SOLD 49 M$ including premium
The art market has a passion for the sculpture of the twentieth century: Brancusi, Modigliani, Giacometti, Moore, and now Marini. The sale on November 3 by Christie's in New York of a strange masterpiece of Matisse is an event. The lot is estimated $ 25M.
In 1906, the artist designs an original theme of sculpture: a nude woman standing, life size, seen from behind, leaning against a wall. The subject fascinated him to such a degree that he created three further versions, in 1913, 1916 and 1930. Psychoanalysts could probably tell us why the sculpted woman is liked by Matisse when she turns her back.
These four naked Backs are changing from realism to stylization, from flexibility to a balance of the masses. The last state is broad and symmetrical, the body barred from head to buttocks by a vertical braid that resembles the tail of a heavy horse.
Twelve bronzes were published from each of the four plasters between 1948 and 1981. The piece for sale by Christie's is a bronze of the last state, 189 cm high, with brown patina, cast in 1978, the penultimate of this model to be still in private hands. It is shown on the Reuters news shared by Artdaily.
POST SALE COMMENT
The meeting of Henri Matisse with the Art Déco style has generated a very high price: $ 49M including premium. The fact that this original edition is largely posthumous has not hampered the buyers.
In 1906, the artist designs an original theme of sculpture: a nude woman standing, life size, seen from behind, leaning against a wall. The subject fascinated him to such a degree that he created three further versions, in 1913, 1916 and 1930. Psychoanalysts could probably tell us why the sculpted woman is liked by Matisse when she turns her back.
These four naked Backs are changing from realism to stylization, from flexibility to a balance of the masses. The last state is broad and symmetrical, the body barred from head to buttocks by a vertical braid that resembles the tail of a heavy horse.
Twelve bronzes were published from each of the four plasters between 1948 and 1981. The piece for sale by Christie's is a bronze of the last state, 189 cm high, with brown patina, cast in 1978, the penultimate of this model to be still in private hands. It is shown on the Reuters news shared by Artdaily.
POST SALE COMMENT
The meeting of Henri Matisse with the Art Déco style has generated a very high price: $ 49M including premium. The fact that this original edition is largely posthumous has not hampered the buyers.
