Still Life with Apples on a Pink Tablecloth

1924

Henri Matisse

Artist, French, 1869 - 1954

Four yellow apples, a lime, and a ceramic pitcher are loosely arranged across a tabletop covered with a carnation-pink cloth patterned with white flowers in this almost square, stylized still life painting. The scene is loosely painted with visible brushstrokes in saturated colors throughout. We look slightly down onto the front corner of the table, where the canary-yellow apples sit in the folds of the tablecloth. The apple closest to us at the corner of the table has a scarlet-red patch on the side facing us. Between the two rightmost apples, the lime is painted in shamrock and fern green. The cloth is bunched up just behind the apples to partially obscure the pitcher sitting near the back of the table. The pitcher is painted with swipes and patches of white, aquamarine blue, and silver gray with gold highlights along its spout. Daubs of pine green, rose pink, and flame red suggest a floral decoration on its side. The wall beyond the table fills the height of the composition, and is scattered with white flowers layered over an aquamarine-blue background. The blossoms seem oversized, each the size of a blown-up balloon. Other leafy forms painted with sapphire blue and plum purple could be more flowers or leaves. Two vertical stripes to the left and right behind the table are made up of strokes and daubs of caramel brown over honey yellow. The artist signed the lower right, “Henri-Matisse.”
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Chester Dale Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 60.4 x 73 cm (23 3/4 x 28 3/4 in.)
    framed: 83.8 x 96.2 x 8.8 cm (33 x 37 7/8 x 3 7/16 in.)

  • Accession

    1963.10.169

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Sold by the artist 4 February 1925 to (Bernheim-Jeune, Paris);[1] sold 6 June 1925 to (Independent Gallery [Percy Moore Turner], London); sold to Mrs. R.A. Workman, London; sold 1928 to (Alex Reid & Lefèvre, Glasgow and London); sold 1928 to (Kraushaar Galleries, New York);[2] sold 1930 to Chester Dale [1883-1962], New York; bequest 1963 to NGA.
[1] Guy-Patrice and Michel Dauberville, Henri Matisse chez Bernheim-Jeune, Paris, 1995, vol 2, no. 640.
[2]Correspondence between Kraushaar and Reid & Lefèvre regarding Matisse paintings acquired in 1928 in Kraushaar Gallery Records, Archives of American Art, Series 1, Box 2 (Outgoing Correspondence); see also letters dated 30 January 1930 and 31 January 1930 from Kraushaar to Dale, acknowledging payment and giving the history of the painting, Kraushaar Records, Archives of American Art, Box 3, Folder 19 (Outgoing Correspondence).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1928

  • Exhibition of Modern French Paintings, Water Colors and Drawings, C.W. Kraushaar Art Galleries, New York, 1928, no. 9, repro.

1930

  • "La Nature Morte" from Chardin to the Abstract, Wildenstein Galleries, New York, 1930, no. 12.

1931

  • A Group of Twentieth Century Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection, Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1931, no. 5.

  • Henri Matisse: Retrospective Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1931, no. 60A, as Still Life with Apples.

1943

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, 1943-1952 (extended loan), unnumbered catalogue, repro. p. 35.

1952

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1952, no. 38, repro.

1965

  • The Chester Dale Bequest, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965, unnumbered checklist.

1986

  • Henri Matisse: The Early Years in Nice 1916-1930, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1986-1987, no. 136, repro.

2010

  • From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, January 2010-January 2012, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

Bibliography

1931

  • Dale, Maud. "Twentieth Century Paintings." The Carnegie Magazine V, no. 2 (May 1931):35-37, repro. [reprint from foreward to catalogue of 1931 Carnegie exhibition of paintings from the Chester Dale collection.]

1943

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1943:, 35, repro.

1952

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art. Washington, 1952 (2nd ed., 1960; rev. ed., 1965): 38, repro.

1960

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1960 (2nd ed.): 40, repro.

1965

  • Twentieth Century French Paintings & Sculpture of the French School in the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965 (rev. ed.): 50, color repro.

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 88.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 77, repro.

  • Gandolfo, Giampaolo et al. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Great Museums of the World. New York, 1968: 95-96, color repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 228, repro.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 594, no. 924, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 262, repro.

1995

  • Dauberville, Guy-Patrice and Michel. Henri Matisse Chez Bernheim Jeune. 2 vols. Paris, 1995:II:no. 640

1997

  • Impressionist and Modern Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture (Part I), Christie's, New York, 1997: 148, no. 1, repro.

Inscriptions

lower right: Henri-Matisse

Wikidata ID

Q20192520

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