Woman in Blue
Henri Matisse, French, 1869 - 1954
Geography:
Made in France, Europe
Date:
1937Medium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
36 1/2 x 29 inches (92.7 x 73.7 cm) Framed: 49 x 41 3/4 x 4 1/4 inches (124.5 x 106 x 10.8 cm)Copyright:
© Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New YorkCuratorial Department:
European Painting
1956-23-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mrs. John Wintersteen, 1956
Made in France, Europe
Date:
1937Medium:
Oil on canvasDimensions:
36 1/2 x 29 inches (92.7 x 73.7 cm) Framed: 49 x 41 3/4 x 4 1/4 inches (124.5 x 106 x 10.8 cm)Copyright:
© Succession H. Matisse, Paris / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New YorkCuratorial Department:
European Painting
* Gallery 166, Modern and Contemporary Art, first floor
Accession Number:1956-23-1Credit Line:
Gift of Mrs. John Wintersteen, 1956
Label:
The model for this composition was Lydia Delectorskaya, a beautiful young Russian émigré who worked closely with Henri Matisse during the last twenty years of his life. Delectorskaya designed the dress shown here after Matisse purchased the sumptuous violet-blue fabric in Paris. The resulting concoction, held together by loose stitches and pins, was intended only for use in Matisse's studio in Nice and appears in several of his paintings of this period.
The model for this composition was Lydia Delectorskaya, a beautiful young Russian émigré who worked closely with Henri Matisse during the last twenty years of his life. Delectorskaya designed the dress shown here after Matisse purchased the sumptuous violet-blue fabric in Paris. The resulting concoction, held together by loose stitches and pins, was intended only for use in Matisse's studio in Nice and appears in several of his paintings of this period.
Provenance
Acquired from the artist by Paul Rosenberg, Paris, 1937; with Rosenberg & Helft, London, 1937; sold to Henry P. McIlhenny, Philadelphia, July 1937; gift to his sister, Bernice (Bonnie) M. McIlhenny Wintersteen (Mrs. John Wintersteen), Villanova, PA, July 1937 [1]; gift to PMA, 1956. 1. When asked by McIlhenny to recommend one of Matisse's figure paintings to purchase, the artist suggested his "Woman in Blue". See Rishel, Henry P. McIlhenny Collection, 1987, p. 68, and also correspondence from Paul Rosenberg, 1937 to 1938, in Henry McIlhenny Archives, object files (copies in curatorial file). Rosenberg was Matisse's dealer in this period.* Works in the collection are moved off view for many different reasons. Although gallery locations on the website are updated regularly, there is no guarantee that this object will be on display on the day of your visit.