Carmelina
Henri Matisse
(French, 1869–1954)
1903
Medium/TechniqueOil on canvas
Dimensions81.3 x 59 cm (32 x 23 1/4 in.)
Credit LineTompkins Collection—Arthur Gordon Tompkins Fund
Accession numberRES.32.14
On View
On viewClassificationsPaintings
Collections
Matisse represented the female nude many times, both in painting and in sculpture. In this striking early work, the rounded forms of Carmelina's body, strongly modeled in light and dark, stand out almost in relief against the pattern of rectangular shapes behind her. The subject of the nude, usually relaxed and seductive, here becomes a confrontation between the boldly posed model and the artist, who is visible in the mirror at the back of the studio.
InscriptionsLower left: Henri MatisseProvenanceBy 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.
Copyright© 2011 Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
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.
about 1942
1964
Early 19th century
about 1860–70
late 1630s