Henri Matisse
The Large Nude
1906
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Henri Matisse
The Large Nude
1906
Physical Qualities
Crayon and brush and tusche lithograph with scraping, Sheet: 443 × 340 mm. (17 7/16 × 13 3/8 in.)
Image: 283 × 262 mm. (11 1/8 × 10 5/16 in.)
Mat: 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.6 cm.)
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.12.195
The 1906 lithograph of Large Nude demonstrates Matisse’s early interest in the pose of the reclining nude, which was also a significant subject in his paintings and sculptures. But he would not return to this pose until the 1920s when he had the opportunity tomake drawings from plaster casts of Michelangelo’s sculptures Night and Day from the Medici Chapel. Two lithographs of models in poses similar to Michelangelo’s tomb figures mark the beginning of his work on the Large Seated Nude sculpture in 1922. The formality of the Michelangelo figures became softened and relaxed in Matisse’s studio as he observed his model at first hand. By lining the walls of his work space with his own prints of reclining nudes as well as reproductions of similar poses in works by other artists, he created a parallel universe surrounding his work on the sculpture.
"Matisse: Masterworks from The Baltimore Museum of Art," exhibition circulated to: Indianapolis Museum of Art, 11 October 2013 - 12 January 2014 (NB title variation, IMA only - Matisse, Life in Color: Masterworks from The Baltimore Museum of Art); Minneapolis Institute of Art, 23 February - 18 May 2014; San Antonio Museum of Art, 15 June - 7 September 2014.
Jay Fisher, BMA, "Matisse, Picasso and Friends: Masterworks on Paper from The Cone Collection," 7 June - 27 August, 1995.
Jay Fisher, "Matisse, Picasso and Friends: Masterworks on Paper from the Cone Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, 17 November, 1996 - 19 January, 1997; Seattle Art Museum 20 February - 20 April, 1997; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 18 May - 13 July, 1997.
Dorothy Kosinski, Jay McKean Fisher, Steven Nash; BMA, Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, "Matisse: Painter as Sculptor," Dallas, January 21 - April 29, 2007; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, June 9 - September 16, 2007; The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 28, 2007- February 3, 2008, cat. no. 101, p. 274, ill. p. 222.
Jay Fisher, American Federation of the Arts, "Matisse as Printmaker," The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 25, 2009 - January 3, 2010; circulating to The Tampa Museum of Art, January 29, 2010 - April 10, 2010.
Katy Rothkopf and Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A Modern Influence: Henry Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore," October 3, 2021 - January 2, 2022.
Jay Fisher, BMA, "Matisse, Picasso and Friends: Masterworks on Paper from The Cone Collection," 7 June - 27 August, 1995.
Jay Fisher, "Matisse, Picasso and Friends: Masterworks on Paper from the Cone Collection," The Cleveland Museum of Art, 17 November, 1996 - 19 January, 1997; Seattle Art Museum 20 February - 20 April, 1997; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 18 May - 13 July, 1997.
Dorothy Kosinski, Jay McKean Fisher, Steven Nash; BMA, Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, "Matisse: Painter as Sculptor," Dallas, January 21 - April 29, 2007; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, June 9 - September 16, 2007; The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 28, 2007- February 3, 2008, cat. no. 101, p. 274, ill. p. 222.
Jay Fisher, American Federation of the Arts, "Matisse as Printmaker," The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 25, 2009 - January 3, 2010; circulating to The Tampa Museum of Art, January 29, 2010 - April 10, 2010.
Katy Rothkopf and Leslie Cozzi, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "A Modern Influence: Henry Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore," October 3, 2021 - January 2, 2022.
Kosinski, Dorothy, Jay McKean Fisher, and Steven Nash. Matisse: Painter as Sculptor. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Museum of Art; Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art: Nasher Sculpture Center; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007, pages 222, 275, cat. no. 101.
Cozzi, Leslie and Katherine Rothkopf (eds). "A Modern Influence: Henri Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore." Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2021. ill.
Inscribed: lower right in graphite: "Henri Matisse"; lower left in graphite: "28/50"; by later hand, lower right in graphite: "28"
Markings: CM: Douane Centrale, Paris
