Past Exhibition

Matisse in Morocco

Fields of elephant gray, coral orange, and turquoise surround a fan-like, abstracted palm frond near the center of this vertical, abstract painting. The fronds of the palm radiate like a starburst against unpainted, cream-white canvas. Three black, vertical bands spaced behind the palm suggest tree trunks, with the rightmost trunk dotted with spring green, perhaps representing moss or the leaves of a vine. The fields of gray to either side of the frond, the turquoise areas below the gray, and the coral at the bottom center are painted with visible brushstrokes, creating a mottled effect. Rounded turquoise forms above the gray are silhouetted against a field of pale blue, perhaps representing the sky along the top edge. A few pointed, oval leaves painted spring green with black outlines dip into the scene from the top of the composition. The artist signed the work in dark green paint in the lower right: “Henri-Matisse.”
Henri Matisse, Palm Leaf, Tangier, 1912, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Fund, 1978.73.1

Details

  • Dates

    -

  • Locations

    East Building, Mezzanine, Northwest, West Bridge
Fields of elephant gray, coral orange, and turquoise surround a fan-like, abstracted palm frond near the center of this vertical, abstract painting. The fronds of the palm radiate like a starburst against unpainted, cream-white canvas. Three black, vertical bands spaced behind the palm suggest tree trunks, with the rightmost trunk dotted with spring green, perhaps representing moss or the leaves of a vine. The fields of gray to either side of the frond, the turquoise areas below the gray, and the coral at the bottom center are painted with visible brushstrokes, creating a mottled effect. Rounded turquoise forms above the gray are silhouetted against a field of pale blue, perhaps representing the sky along the top edge. A few pointed, oval leaves painted spring green with black outlines dip into the scene from the top of the composition. The artist signed the work in dark green paint in the lower right: “Henri-Matisse.”
Henri Matisse, Palm Leaf, Tangier, 1912, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Fund, 1978.73.1

Overview: 23 paintings, 47 drawings, and a letter were on view, produced by Matisse during his visits to Morocco in early 1912 and in the winter of 1912-1913. The exhibition was collectively organized by the National Gallery of Art; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow; and the Hermitage Museum, Leningrad. On crowded weekdays and weekends free exhibition passes were distributed as necessary on a first-come, first-served basis.

Organization: Jack Cowart, curator of 20th-century art at the National Gallery, and Pierre Schneider, guest scholar, were the exhibition curators. They were assisted by John Elderfield, director of the department of drawings at the Museum of Modern Art; Albert Kostenevich, chief curator of modern European painting at the Hermitage Museum; and Marina Bessonova, curator of modern French painting at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition, and Gordon Anson designed the lighting.

Sponsor: The Richard King Mellon Foundation supported the exhibition, and additional support was provided by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Attendance: 274,772

Catalog: Matisse in Morocco: The Paintings and Drawings, 1912-1913, by Jack Cowart et al. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1990.

Brochure: Matisse in Morocco: The Paintings and Drawings, 1912-1913. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art, 1990.

Other Venues:

  • Museum of Modern Art, New York, 06/24/1990–09/04/1990
  • Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, 09/28/1990–11/20/1990
  • Hermitage Museum, Leningrad, 12/15/1990–02/15/1991

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