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The Conversation, 1938, by Henri Matisse

The Conversation, 1938, by Henri Matisse (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art: Bequest of Mr. James D. Zellerbach, 93.149) © 2022 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Exhibition

Matisse in the 1930s

October 20, 2022–January 29, 2023

By 1930, Henri Matisse had achieved significant international renown, yet he found himself in a deep creative slump. The turning point came in the fall of that year with a commission to decorate the main gallery of the Barnes Foundation, then located in a suburb of Philadelphia. The resulting monumental mural, The Dance (1930–33), turned Matisse’s artistic practice around.

Matisse in the 1930s explores changes in the artist’s work across multiple formats, including easel and decorative painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, and the illustrated book. The exhibition also addresses the methods of working that renewed Matisse’s style, as well as his modern renderings of mythological themes from antiquity, his depictions of female models in the studio, and his partnership with his studio manager and model, Lydia Delectorskaya.

Tickets & Promotions

Matisse in the 1930s is a separately ticketed exhibition. Tickets are for timed entry every thirty minutes from 11:00 a.m. until an hour and a half before close each day.

Standard Tickets: $30

Standard tickets include timed entry to the exhibition and general admission to the museum.

Buy standard tickets

Members: Free

Members receive unlimited access with their membership card, no tickets required. Member guest tickets must be booked in advance.

Reserve member guest tickets

Gift Tickets: $30

Gift tickets include timed entry to the exhibition and general admission to the museum.

Buy gift tickets

Premium All-Inclusive Package: $180 ($168 members)

This premium package includes:

  • Two exhibition tickets (general admission included)
  • Exhibition catalogue (pick up in the exhibition store)
  • Lunch for two at Stir, excluding alcohol, gratuity, and tip (reservations to be made before your visit)

Reserve All-Inclusive Package

Experience It Again: 50% off return visit (online purchase only)

Get 50% off a return visit ticket with the purchase of a regularly priced ticket (limit two discounted tickets). A promo code will be provided via email after your first visit.


Main Building

Organizers

Matisse in the 1930s is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris; and the Musée Matisse Nice.

Supporters

In Philadelphia, the exhibition is made possible by the Annenberg Foundation Fund for Major Exhibitions, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Gloria and Jack Drosdick Fund for Special Exhibitions, the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Fund for Special Exhibitions, the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Fund for Exhibitions, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Buck, Mr. and Mrs. Christopher H. Gadsden, Mrs. Henry F. Harris, the Robert Lehman Foundation, The Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Barbara A. Podell and Mark G. Singer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Robbi and Bruce Toll, Constance and Sankey Williams, and other generous donors.

Support for the accompanying publication was provided by The Davenport Family Foundation and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

Promotional support has been provided by PHLCVB and Visit Philadelphia.

Matisse in the 1930s is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Curators

Matthew Affron, Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art; Cécile Debray, president of the Musée National Picasso-Paris; and Claudine Grammont, director of the Musée Matisse Nice

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