Henri Matisse: Matisse in Black and White: Curated by Paul B. Franklin

November 12 – December 19, 2020 297 Tenth Avenue, New York
  • A carefully orchestrated and highly focused survey, Matisse in Black and White explores Henri Matisse’s ongoing relationship with black and white across a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, drawing, various types of prints (drypoints, monotypes, lithographs, linocuts), and illustrated books. Comprising some twenty-five rigorously selected artworks, the exhibition aims to facilitate what one might term “slow looking,” a fundamental principle that informed and nourished Matisse throughout his long career as an artist.
  • On view at our 297 Tenth Avenue gallery, this non-commercial exhibition features artworks with exceptional provenances from both public and private collections, including that of the Matisse family. Honoring Matisse's lofty position in the history of twentieth-century art, Matisse in Black and White also will present visitors with a rare opportunity to evaluate firsthand the continued relevance of his unique aesthetic project, confirming—one hundred and fifty years after his birth—that he remains not only a singular genius with color, but an unparalleled virtuoso with black and white.
  • Henri Matisse Autoportrait au bonnet (Self-Portrait with Cap), 1916 ink on paper 8 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches (21 x...

    Henri Matisse

    Autoportrait au bonnet (Self-Portrait with Cap), 1916

    ink on paper
    8 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches (21 x 13.3 cm)
  • Despite his hallowed status as one of the greatest modern masters of color, Matisse heavily relied on both black and...
    Henri Matisse, Nature morte aux poissons rouges II (Still Life with Goldfish II), 1914-15, monotype.
    Despite his hallowed status as one of the greatest modern masters of color, Matisse heavily relied on both black and white in the development of his signature style. Throughout his prodigious oeuvre, these two “non-colors” (technically known as achromatic colors) occupied pride of place, as exemplified in the rigor and fluidity of his line. Moreover, in some of his most iconic masterpieces—including, among others, Goldfish and Palette (1914–15) or the interior decoration of the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence (1948–52)—the stunning visual effects that Matisse achieved by juxtaposing diverse hues were counterbalanced with blacks and whites. The latter function as indispensable structural elements that undergird the compositions. Regarding his working method, Matisse avowed in 1946: “When I didn’t know what color to put down, I put down black. Black is a force: I used black as ballast to simplify the construction.”
  • In emphasizing individual contemplation and extended reflection, Matisse in Black and White will highlight Matisse’s assertion that an artist’s “best spokesman is his work,” while also documenting his personal approach to the creative process, which he succinctly summarized as follows: “My destination is always the same, but I work out a different route to get there.”
  • Works
    • Henri Matisse, Ascher Square (Maquette B), 1946
      Henri Matisse, Ascher Square (Maquette B), 1946
    • Henri Matisse, Autoportrait au bonnet (Self-Portrait with Cap), 1916
      Henri Matisse, Autoportrait au bonnet (Self-Portrait with Cap), 1916
    • Henri Matisse, Buste de femme avec collier et bracelet (Bust of a Woman with Necklace and Bracelet), 1926
      Henri Matisse, Buste de femme avec collier et bracelet (Bust of a Woman with Necklace and Bracelet), 1926
    • Henri Matisse, Chinoise au visage de face (Chinese Woman, Full Face), 1947
      Henri Matisse, Chinoise au visage de face (Chinese Woman, Full Face), 1947
    • Henri Matisse, Cinéraire maritime (Silver Ragwort), 1945
      Henri Matisse, Cinéraire maritime (Silver Ragwort), 1945
    • Henri Matisse, Corbeille de bégonias I (Basket of Begonias I), 1938
      Henri Matisse, Corbeille de bégonias I (Basket of Begonias I), 1938
    • Henri Matisse, Double portrait de Josette Gris (Double Portrait of Josette Gris), 1915
      Henri Matisse, Double portrait de Josette Gris (Double Portrait of Josette Gris), 1915
    • Henri Matisse, Fée au chapeau de clarté, Souvenir du Mallarmé (Fairy in a Luminous Hat, Souvenir of Mallarmé), 1933
      Henri Matisse, Fée au chapeau de clarté, Souvenir du Mallarmé (Fairy in a Luminous Hat, Souvenir of Mallarmé), 1933
    • Henri Matisse, Figure au peignoir (Figure in Robe), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Figure au peignoir (Figure in Robe), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Figure, blouse à fleurs (Figure, Floral Blouse), 1936
      Henri Matisse, Figure, blouse à fleurs (Figure, Floral Blouse), 1936
    • Henri Matisse, Fleurs, fruits et tasse (Flowers, Fruit, and Cup), 1941
      Henri Matisse, Fleurs, fruits et tasse (Flowers, Fruit, and Cup), 1941
    • Henri Matisse, Fleurs, fruits et tasse (Flowers, Fruit, and Cup), 1941
      Henri Matisse, Fleurs, fruits et tasse (Flowers, Fruit, and Cup), 1941
    • Henri Matisse, Grand Autoportrait (Large Self-Portrait), 1937
      Henri Matisse, Grand Autoportrait (Large Self-Portrait), 1937
    • Henri Matisse, Henri Matisse gravant (Henri Matisse Etching), 1900-03
      Henri Matisse, Henri Matisse gravant (Henri Matisse Etching), 1900-03
    • Henri Matisse, Jeune fille aux boucles brunes (Young Girl with Brown Curls), 1924
      Henri Matisse, Jeune fille aux boucles brunes (Young Girl with Brown Curls), 1924
    • Henri Matisse, Jeune fille et son chien (Young Woman and Her Dog), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Jeune fille et son chien (Young Woman and Her Dog), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, La Chevelure (The Head of Hair), 1932
      Henri Matisse, La Chevelure (The Head of Hair), 1932
    • Henri Matisse, La Femme en costume persan (Woman in Persian Costume), 1931
      Henri Matisse, La Femme en costume persan (Woman in Persian Costume), 1931
    • Henri Matisse, La Frégate (The Frigate), 1938
      Henri Matisse, La Frégate (The Frigate), 1938
    • Henri Matisse, Le Grand Nu (Large Nude), 1906
      Henri Matisse, Le Grand Nu (Large Nude), 1906
    • Henri Matisse, Le Tiaré (Tiari), 1930
      Henri Matisse, Le Tiaré (Tiari), 1930
    • Henri Matisse, L’Avaleur de sabres (The Sword Swallower), 1947
      Henri Matisse, L’Avaleur de sabres (The Sword Swallower), 1947
    • Henri Matisse, Martiniquaise (Martinican Woman), 1946
      Henri Matisse, Martiniquaise (Martinican Woman), 1946
    • Henri Matisse, Masque au petit nez (Mask with Small Nose), 1948
      Henri Matisse, Masque au petit nez (Mask with Small Nose), 1948
    • Henri Matisse, Nature morte aux poissons rouges II (Still Life with Goldfish II), 1914-15
      Henri Matisse, Nature morte aux poissons rouges II (Still Life with Goldfish II), 1914-15
    • Henri Matisse, Nature morte sur la table (Still Life on Table), c. 1941
      Henri Matisse, Nature morte sur la table (Still Life on Table), c. 1941
    • Henri Matisse, Nu (Nude), 1941
      Henri Matisse, Nu (Nude), 1941
    • Henri Matisse, Nu assis et portrait de Mme Cézanne (Seated Nude and Portrait of Mme Cézanne), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Nu assis et portrait de Mme Cézanne (Seated Nude and Portrait of Mme Cézanne), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Nu assis, bras croisés supportant la tête (Seated Nude, Arms Crossed Supporting the Head), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Nu assis, bras croisés supportant la tête (Seated Nude, Arms Crossed Supporting the Head), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Nu au coussin bleu (Nude with Blue Cushion), 1924
      Henri Matisse, Nu au coussin bleu (Nude with Blue Cushion), 1924
    • Henri Matisse, Nu au fauteuil (Nude in Armchair), 1935
      Henri Matisse, Nu au fauteuil (Nude in Armchair), 1935
    • Henri Matisse, Nu couché sur le côté les bras sous la tête (Nude Lying on Her Side, Arms Under Head), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Nu couché sur le côté les bras sous la tête (Nude Lying on Her Side, Arms Under Head), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Nu couché, drapé dans une étoffe fleurie (Nude on Couch, Draped in Flowered Material), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Nu couché, drapé dans une étoffe fleurie (Nude on Couch, Draped in Flowered Material), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Nu couché, sol en damier (Reclining Nude, Checkered Floor), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Nu couché, sol en damier (Reclining Nude, Checkered Floor), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Nu debout en peignoir (Standing Nude in Robe), 1929
      Henri Matisse, Nu debout en peignoir (Standing Nude in Robe), 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Nu renversé près d’une table Louis XV (Upside-down Nude near a Louis XV Table), 17 November 1929
      Henri Matisse, Nu renversé près d’une table Louis XV (Upside-down Nude near a Louis XV Table), 17 November 1929
    • Henri Matisse, Odalisque à la coupe de fruits (Odalisque with a Bowl of Fruit), 1925
      Henri Matisse, Odalisque à la coupe de fruits (Odalisque with a Bowl of Fruit), 1925
    • Henri Matisse, Patitcha, étude de nu (Patitcha, Study of Nude), 1946-47
      Henri Matisse, Patitcha, étude de nu (Patitcha, Study of Nude), 1946-47
    • Henri Matisse, Visage feminin (Female Face), Nice, 1951
      Henri Matisse, Visage feminin (Female Face), Nice, 1951
    • Henri Matisse, Œufs de tourterelle, 2 June 1945
      Henri Matisse, Œufs de tourterelle, 2 June 1945
    • Henri Matisse, …L’Angoisse qui s’amasse en frappant sous ta gorge… (…The Gathering Anguish that Strikes in Your Throat…), 1944
      Henri Matisse, …L’Angoisse qui s’amasse en frappant sous ta gorge… (…The Gathering Anguish that Strikes in Your Throat…), 1944
  • About the Curator

    Paul B. Franklin earned his doctorate in art history from Harvard University. Based in Paris, he is an independent scholar and an internationally recognized authority on Marcel Duchamp. From 2000 to 2016, he was the editor in chief of the scholarly journal Étant donné Marcel Duchamp, the most highly regarded publication devoted to the artist and his work. He also worked for many years with Duchamp’s heirs managing the artist’s estate. Paul B. Franklin has lectured and published widely on Duchamp. Some of his most recent publications include “Marcel Duchamp, ses maîtres et ses pirouettes autour de la peinture,” which was the lead essay in the catalogue of the exhibition Marcel Duchamp: la peinture, même (24 September 2014–5 January 2015) organized at the Centre Pompidou in Paris; the book The Artist and His Critic Stripped Bare, a bilingual edition of the correspondence of Duchamp and Robert Lebel, which the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles published in 2016; and “‘Can one make works that are not “of art”?’: Marcel Duchamp’s Bottle Rack in the catalogue of the exhibition Marcel Duchamp: Porte-bouteilles (14 October 2016–14 January 2017) organized at the Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris. More recently, Paul B. Franklin curated the exhibition Brancusi & Duchamp: The Art of Dialogue (20 September–22 December 2018) at Kasmin, for which he also wrote the accompanying catalogue. In May 2019, he was elected to the Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna (Royal Academy of Fine Arts) in Sweden.
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