English Language, French Connexions, French Language

"Matisse and the Sea": An Overview

Professor John Klein’s research is on European art of the first half of the twentieth century. He is an internationally known specialist in the art of Henri Matisse. In addition to his first book, Matisse Portraits (Yale 2001), he has published many articles and book chapters on the artist. His recent book, Matisse and Decoration, published by Yale in 2018, is a comprehensive analysis of the concept of decoration in Matisse’s art, with a particular focus on his commissions for ceramic tile, stained glass, tapestry and other fabrics, and decorative objects and paintings during the last twenty years of his career.

Professor John Klein will introduce the main themes of the new Matisse exhibition in a visually stimulating lecture that will highlight some of the most important artworks currently on view at the Museum.

"Matisse and the Sea", the special Spring exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum, is the first show to examine the significance of the sea across Modernist artist Henri Matisse’s career, which included artwork made in coastal locations on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Pacific.

Marine imagery was an important catalyst for Matisse’s artistic experimentation—most notably in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s own iconic painting "Bathers with a Turtle".

This event is sponsored by the French Connexions Center of Excellence at WashU, sponsored by the cultural services of the French Embassy.

Moderated by Lionel Cuillé.

 

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