Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954) Seated Woman in Oriental Dress

Description:

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954)

Seated Woman in Oriental Dress
Signed "Henri Matisse" l.l., identified on a label from Charles E. Slatkin
Galleries, New York, on the reverse.
Pen and ink on paper, sight size 18 3/4 x 13 1/4 in. (47.6 x 33.7 cm),framed.
Condition: Laid onto matboard and adhered between beveled and backing mats.

Exhibitions: The Many-Sided Artist, Charles E. Slatkin Galleries, New York, Feb. 15-March 31, 1961, no. 60.

Provenance: Collection of Henry F. and Stella Fischbach, New York; Estate of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (née Braman) Grasso, Essex, Connecticut.
N.B. We wish to thank Wanda de Guebriant of the Archives Matisse for her assistance with cataloguing the lot, and a photo-certificate from the Archives Matisse accompanies the lot.

Matisse was deeply influenced by the sights he encountered in Morocco during the winters of 1911 through 1913, and nostalgia for this time inspired his later work depicting lush Oriental interiors.

The present work is characteristic of Matisse's female portraits of the twenties that show an Arabesque interior with women, frequently in exotic costume "dozing or chatting there, with a dreamy look in their eyes…without a care in the world other than setting a calm, luxurious mood for the delight of a man who exists only negatively, only as he is reflected in the woman's availability and expectancy." (1) At the same time, in this particular work, there is a subtle aggressiveness to her pose in her frontal display of wealth and direct gaze that may challenge the typically passive gaze of the viewer.

(1)Schneider, Pierre. Matisse. New York: Rizzoli, 1984. Pg. 496.



Estimate $150,000-250,000

Paper restoration/loss along full length of top edge.

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