Did You Know?

In 1961, Matisse’s Le Bateau (The Boat) hung upside-down for 46 days in the Museum of Modern Art, New York – none of the 116,000 visitors had noticed.

Quote of the Day

“Creativity takes courage.” - Henri Matisse 

US Agents Seize Painting Thought to Be Stolen £2m Matisse

Odalisque with Red Pants by Henri Matisse. Photograph: Francis G. Mayer/Corbis (click photo for larger image)

“A painting believed to be by French master Henri Matisse that was stolen from a Venezuelan museum more than a decade ago has been recovered in an undercover sting operation at a Miami Beach hotel, authorities said.”

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During the 1920, when Matisse was living in Nice, odalisques were a favorite subject for the artist. He painted a number of them--in a variety of poses--primarily using a young woman named Henriette Darricarrière as his model.

Did You Know?

Henri Matisse’s painting, “Le Bateau” was put the right way up after hanging upside-down for 46 days without anyone noticing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, America. It happened to Georgia O’Keefee, too, with “The Lawrence Tree” painting.

Modernism and Giotto: Back and Forth on a Time Machine

(Left) Diego Rivera - The Agitator, detail, 1926, Autonomous University of Chapingo. (Right) Giotto - Crucifixion, detail, c. 1305, Scrovegni Chapel, PaduaOne of the primary goals of Modern Art was to break with the traditions of the past that had been defined by the Renaissance. But inspiration doesn’t develop in a vacuum! Key modernists such as Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Rivera--and many other artists--journeyed back in time to pre-Renaissance days in search of a muse. They found one in the great fourteenth century master, Giotto. I will begin a five-week program on this topic at the Palos Verdes Art Center--on Tuesday afternoons from 12:30-3:30, and beginning Tuesday, April 10th. In this program, we will examine the significant links (and in some cases direct quotations) between the “father of European painting” and the Moderns masters. Giotto once said, “Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbor.” Come on our voyage to find out how modernism interpreted this idea--working from the Giotto model. Space is limited so register now! Click here for more info and to register.