Henri Matisse
The Blue Eyes
1934
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Henri Matisse
The Blue Eyes
1934
Physical Qualities
Oil on canvas, 15 x 18 in. (38.1 x 45.7 cm.)
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.259
In this painting, Lydia Delectorskaya, one of Matisse’s favorite models, confronts us with her penetrating gaze as she leans into the viewer’s space, supported on her folded arms. As informal and immediate as this pose appears, Matisse made a number of studies for this work in which he experimented with its composition. Delectorskaya soon became a constant presence in his studio, eventually becoming his loyal secretary. She ran the studio for him, interviewed young women to serve as his models, and even chose the costumes the sitters wore while posing. Delectorskaya also modeled for Purple Robe and Anemones, on view, two years later; it is interesting to compare the more spontaneous and casual feeling of The Blue Eyes with the more formally posed and elegant later work.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1949; Etta Cone, Baltimore, by purchase, July 25, 1935; the artist
Petit Palais, Paris, "Les Maitres de l'Art Indépendant 1895-1937", June-October, 1937, no. 13. (Exhibited as "Les Yeux bleus")
Adelyn Breeskin, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A Century of Baltimore Collecting 1840-1940", June 6, 1941-September 1, 1941.
Gertrude Rosenthal, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Selections from the Cone Collection", October 7, 1949-December 31, 1949, no. 62.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "The Cone Collection", circulated to The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond,October 23, 1953-November 22, 1953.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, "Henri Matisse: Exhibition of Sculptures, Paintings and Drawings", September 18, 1955-October 16, 1955, no. 68.
Jane Harrison Cone, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Cone Collection from The Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to Wildenstein and Company, New York, March 29, 1974-May 4, 1974, no. 35.
Brenda Richardson, "Matisse in the Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, August 24, 1979-October 14, 1979.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Masterpieces from the Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to The Los Angeles County Museum of Art,October 6, 1985-November 24, 1985; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, December 14, 1985-February 9, 1986.
Brenda Richardson, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matisse, Picasso and Impressionist Masters from the Cone Collection", circulated to The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, October 2, 1991-January 19, 1992.
John Elderfield with Beatrice Kernan, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, "Henri Matisse: A Retrospective", September 24, 1992-January 19, 1993, no. 303.
Brenda Richardson, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Van Gogh to Matisse: Impressionist and Modern Masters from the Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 21, 1993-January 30, 1994.
Brain Trust Inc., Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, "Matisse and Modern Masters from the Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art", October 3, 1996-December 28, 1996, no. 35; circulated to the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, January 8, 1997-February 11, 1997.
The Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "The Triumph of French Painting: Masterpieces from Ingres to Matisse", March 12, 2000-July 16, 2000.
The Baltimore Museum of Art and the American Federation of the Arts, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matisse as Printmaker", October 25, 2009-January 3, 2010; circulated to Tampa Museum of Art, February 6, 2010-April 18, 2010; Art Gallery of Alberta, October 29, 2010-February 13, 2011.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, "Matisse/Diebenkorn", The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 23, 2016-January 29, 2017. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, March 11, 2017-May 29, 2017.
Adelyn Breeskin, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A Century of Baltimore Collecting 1840-1940", June 6, 1941-September 1, 1941.
Gertrude Rosenthal, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Selections from the Cone Collection", October 7, 1949-December 31, 1949, no. 62.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "The Cone Collection", circulated to The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond,October 23, 1953-November 22, 1953.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, "Henri Matisse: Exhibition of Sculptures, Paintings and Drawings", September 18, 1955-October 16, 1955, no. 68.
Jane Harrison Cone, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Cone Collection from The Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to Wildenstein and Company, New York, March 29, 1974-May 4, 1974, no. 35.
Brenda Richardson, "Matisse in the Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, August 24, 1979-October 14, 1979.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Masterpieces from the Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to The Los Angeles County Museum of Art,October 6, 1985-November 24, 1985; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, December 14, 1985-February 9, 1986.
Brenda Richardson, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matisse, Picasso and Impressionist Masters from the Cone Collection", circulated to The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, October 2, 1991-January 19, 1992.
John Elderfield with Beatrice Kernan, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, "Henri Matisse: A Retrospective", September 24, 1992-January 19, 1993, no. 303.
Brenda Richardson, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Van Gogh to Matisse: Impressionist and Modern Masters from the Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art", circulated to The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, November 21, 1993-January 30, 1994.
Brain Trust Inc., Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo, "Matisse and Modern Masters from the Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art", October 3, 1996-December 28, 1996, no. 35; circulated to the Osaka Municipal Museum of Art, January 8, 1997-February 11, 1997.
The Baltimore Museum of Art and The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "The Triumph of French Painting: Masterpieces from Ingres to Matisse", March 12, 2000-July 16, 2000.
The Baltimore Museum of Art and the American Federation of the Arts, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Matisse as Printmaker", October 25, 2009-January 3, 2010; circulated to Tampa Museum of Art, February 6, 2010-April 18, 2010; Art Gallery of Alberta, October 29, 2010-February 13, 2011.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, "Matisse/Diebenkorn", The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 23, 2016-January 29, 2017. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, March 11, 2017-May 29, 2017.
Roger Fry, "Henri-Matisse," Paris: Éditions des Chroniques du Jour, 1935, no. 52, ill. (Published as "Les Yeux Bleus")
"Les Maitres de l'Art Indépendant 1895-1937," Paris: Petit Palais, 1937, p. 36, no. 13. (Published as "Les Yeux bleus")
Baltimore Museum of Art, "A Century of Baltimore Collecting 1840-1940," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1941, p. 83, 116.
George Besson, "Matisse," Paris: Les Éditions Braun & Cie, 1945, no. 14, ill. (Published as "Les Yeux Bleus")
George Boas, Adelyn D. Breeskin and J.G. D'Arcy Paul, "Selections from the Cone Collection," "News of the Baltimore Museum of Art," October 1949, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 18, ill. p. 9.
"Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta, Collectors," "Art News," vol. XLVIII, no. 9, January 1950, p. 39, ill.
Alfred H. Barr, Jr., "Matisse: His Art and His Public," New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1951, 223, 247, 251, 471, 557, 575, 576, p. 471, ill. (Published as "Blue Eyes/Les Yeux Bleus")
Clive Bell, "Modern French Painting: The Cone Collection," Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1951, p. 23.
Gaston Diehl, "Henri Matisse," Paris: Éditions Pierre Tisné, 1954, pp. 86, 144, 163, pl. 106, ill. (Published as "Les Yeux Bleus")
André Sauret, "Portraits par Henri Matisse," Monte Carlo: Éditions du Livre, 1954, pl. 135, ill. (Published as "Madame L.D. Les Yeux Bleus")
"Matisse: A Rare Collection Record," "Vogue" March 1, 1955, vol. 125, pp. 133, 134, ill. p. 134.
"Henri Matisse: Exhibition of Sculptures, Paintings and Drawings," Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1955, no. 68.
George Boas, Adelyn Breeskin, and Gertrude Rosenthal, "Cone Collection: A Handbook with a Catalogue of Paintings and Sculpture," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1955, p. 37, no. 74.
Raymond Escholier, "Matisse: A Portrait of the Artist and the Man," New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1960, pp. 155, 224. (Published as "Les Yeux bleus")
Barbara Pollack, "The Collectors: D. Claribel and Miss Etta Cone," Indianapolis: The Bobbs Merrill Company, 1962, p. 174, ill.
George Boas, Adelyn Breeskin, and Gertrude Rosenthal, "Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings in the Cone Collection," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1967, p. 67, no. 71.
Jean Guichard-Meili, "Matisse," New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967, pp. 106, 248, no. 99, ill.
Jean Guichard-Meili, "Henri Matisse, Son Oeuvre, Son Univers," Paris: Fernand Hazan Editeur, 1967, pp. 106, 250, fig. 99, ill. (Published as "Les yeux bleus")
Louis Aragon, "Henri Matisse, Roman I," Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1971, p. 343, 352, pl. LXXV, ill. (Published as "Les yeux bleus")
Massimo Carrà and Mario Luzi, "L'opera di Matisse dalla rivolta 'fauve' all'intimismo 1904-1928," Milan: Rizzoli 1971, pp. 105, 113, 114, no. 469, ill. (Published as "Occhi Azzurri")
Louis Aragon. Henri Matisse: A Novel. First American edition. Translated by Jean Stewart. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972, p. 343, plate LXXV, ill.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, "Cone Collection from the Baltimore Museum of Art: A Benefit Exhibition at Wildenstein," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1974, no. 35.
Lawrence Gowing, "Matisse," New York: Oxford University Press, 1979, p. 211, no. 159, ill. (Published as "Les yeux bleus")
Marya Dalrymple, ed., "Love, A Celebration in Art and Literature," New York: Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 1982, n.p., ill.
Pierre Schneider, Massimo Carrà and Xavier Deryng, "Tout l'Oeuvre Peint de Matisse 1904-1928," Paris: Flammarion, 1982, pp. 105, 115, no. 469, ill. (Published as "Les Yeux Bleus")
Brenda Richardson, "Dr. Claribel & Miss Etta: The Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1985, pp. 36, 94, 129, 132, 140, 189, 201, ill. pp. 36, 132.
Lydia Delectorskaya, "…l'apparente facilité…Henri Matisse, Peintures de 1935-1939," Paris: Adrien Maeght, 1986, pp. 5, 29, ill. p. 5. (Published as "Les Yeux Bleus")
Jacqueline and Maurice Guillaud, "Matisse: Le Rythme et la Ligne," Paris: Guillaud Editions, 1987, pp. 293, 314, 646, no. 300, ill. (Published as "Les yeux bleus")
Isabelle Monod-Fontaine, "Matisse Le Rêve ou les Belles Endormies," Paris: Adam Biro, 1989, pp. 7-8, p. 7, ill. (Published as "Les Yeux bleus")
Monod-Fontaine, Isabelle. Matisse: Œuvres de Henri Matisse. Paris: Centre Georges Pompidou, 1989, page 88, fig. c (published as “Les Yeux bleus”).
Jean Selz, "Matisse," New York: Crown Publishers Inc., 1990, pp. 74, 96, p. 74, ill.
Gilot, Françoise. The Blue Eyes. New York: Doubleday, 1990, page 179.
Bernier, Rosamond. Matisse, Picasso, Miró: As I Knew Them. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991, page 92.
John Elderfield, "Henri Matisse: A Retrospective," New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1992, pp. 360, 374, 477, cat. no. 303, ill.
Françoise Gilot. Matisse and Picasso: A Friendship in Art. New York: Anchor Books, 1992, page 179.
Hayden Herrera, "Matisse: A Portrait," New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993, p. 172.
Néret, Gilles. Matisse. [Place of publication not identified]: Konecky & Konecky, 1993, p. 160, no. 243.
Rosamond Bernier, "Matisse, El Conservador Inspirado," "Saber Ver," July-August 1995, no. 23, p. 51, ill. (Published as "Los ojos azules")
Jay M. Fisher, "Drawings from the Collection of Claribel and Etta Cone at the Baltimore Museum of Art," "Drawing: The International Review published by The Drawing Society," Vol. XVII, No.1, May - June 1995, p. 5.
Nobuyuki Senzoku and Akira Tomita, "Matisse and Modern Masters from the Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art," Tokyo: Brain Trust Inc., 1996, pp. 86-87, 159, no. 35, ill.
Ingrid Schaffner, "The Essential Henri Matisse," New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998, pp. 102-103, ill. p. 103.
John O'Brian, "Ruthless Hedonism: The American Reception of Matisse," Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1999, pp. 88, 279.
Néret, Gilles. Henri Matisse. Köln; New York: Taschen, [1999], page 166.
Sona K. Johnston and William R. Johnston, "The Triumph of French Painting: Masterpieces from Ingres to Matisse," London: Scala Publishers, 2000, pp. 35, 156.
Bernhard Schlink, "Liebesfluchten," Zürich, Diogenes, 2000, cover page, ill.
Charles Darwent, "Double Vision," "The Independent," June 17, 2001, p. 21.
Jack Flam, "Matisse in the Cone Collection: The Poetics of Vision," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2001, pp. 98-99, pl. 45, ill.
Mary Gabriel, "The Art of Acquiring: A Portrait of Etta and Claribel Cone," Baltimore: Bancroft Press, 2002, pp. 201, 251.
Spurling, Hilary. Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse; The Conquest of Colour, 1909-1954. London: Hamish Hamilton, 2005, page 356.
Ellen B. Hirschland and Nancy Hirschland Ramage, "The Cone Sisters of Baltimore: Collecting at Full Tilt," Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2008, pp. 147, 192, 219, 277, fig. 6, ill.
Fillion, Susan. Miss Etta and Dr. Claribel: Bringing Matisse to America. Boston: David R. Godine, 2011, page 55.
Bishop, Janet and Katy Rothkopf eds. Matisse/Diebenkorn. New York: Prestel, 2016.
Cozzi, Leslie and Katherine Rothkopf, eds., "A Modern Influence: Henri Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore." Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2021. ill.
Affron, Matthew, Cécile Debray, and Claudine Grammont. Matisse in the 1930s. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2022. ill.
Inscribed: Recto: Signed, upper left in black paint, "Henri Matisse/35"
On View at the BMA
