Henri Matisse
Two Girls, Red and Green Background
1946
Scroll
Henri Matisse
Two Girls, Red and Green Background
1946
Physical Qualities
Oil on canvas, Unframed: 22 1/8 × 18 1/4 in. (56.2 × 46.4 cm.)
Framed: 29 1/8 × 25 1/4 × 5 1/4 in.
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.264
In 1943, Matisse moved to the hill town of Vence to escape the wartime threat of bombardment along the coast at Nice. Although he continued to paint during his years there, he also began to work with paper cut-outs since health problems made it difficult for him to stand for long periods of time. Two Girls, Red and Green Background is one of a series of small canvases Matisse produced in Vence as part of his last glorious outburst of painting. The intricate details of his Nice interiors have been replaced in this painting by a new freedom in his brushwork and drawing, as well as an increased boldness in his color harmonies.
Six months before her death in 1949, Etta Cone purchased this work from Matisse’s son Pierre. It was the last Matisse painting to enter The Cone Collection.
Publication References
E. Tériade, "Vence 1944-48," "Verve," 1948, vol. VI, nos. 21, 22, n.p, ill. (Published as "Deux Fillettes, fond Rouge et Vert")
"Henri Matisse Oeuvres Récentes 1947-1948," Paris: Musée National d'Art Moderne, 1949, no. 2, ill. (Published as "Deux fillettes, fond rouge et vert")
Alfred H. Barr, Jr., "Matisse: His Art and His Public," New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1951, pp. Table of Contents Part IX Section V, 276, 557. (Published as "Two Girls with Red and Green Background")
"The Art of Henri Matisse," Palm Beach, FL: The Society of the 4 Arts, 1953, no. 27. (Published as "Two Girls with Red and Green Background")
"Matisse: A Rare Collection Record," "Vogue" March 1, 1955, vol. 125, pp. 133, 135, ill. p. 135. (Published as "Two Girls")
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, pp. 23, 37, no. 79.
Howard Devree, "About Art and Artists: Works by Matisse, Picasso and Others From Cone Collection Displayed," "The New York Times," January 25, 1955, p. 23.
George Boas, Adelyn Breeskin, and Gertrude Rosenthal, "Paintings, Sculpture and Drawings in the Cone Collection," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1967, pp. 17. 67, no. 76.
Louis Aragon, "Henri Matisse, Roman II," Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1971, pp. 336,363, pl. LXV, ill. (Published as "Deux fillettes, fond rouge et vert")
Aragon, Louis. Henri Matisse: A Novel, Vol. I. First American edition. Translated by Jean Stewart. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1972, p. 336, 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. 39.
Brenda Richardson, "Dr. Claribel & Miss Etta: The Cone Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 1985, pp. 147, 194.
Yoshiaki Tono and Eiko Ishioka, "Art Gallery 10: Matisse," Tokyo: Shueisha, 1986, no. 21, ill.
Jacqueline and Maurice Guillaud, "Matisse: Le Rythme et la Ligne," Paris: Guillaud Editions, 1987, pp. 402, 644, nos. 418, 419, ill. (Published as "Deux fillettes, fond rouge et vert")
Xavier Girard, "Matisse: Le Grand Atelier 1935-1948," Nice: Musée Matisse, 1994, p. 34. (Published as "Deux Fillettes fond Rouge et Vert")
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. 97, 159, no. 41, ill.
John O'Brian, "Ruthless Hedonism: The American Reception of Matisse," Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1999, pp. 154, 155, 225, 239, 280, fig. 64, ill.
Sona K. Johnston and William R. Johnston, "The Triumph of French Painting: Masterpieces from Ingres to Matisse," London: Scala Publishers, 2000, pp. 35, 156.
Jay Fisher, "Dr. Claribel and Miss Etta Cone: A Collection of Modern Art for Baltimore," in Rosella Mamoli Zorzi, ed., "Before Peggy Guggenheim: American Woman Art Collectors," Venice: Marsilio, 2001, p. 127.
Jack Flam, "Matisse in the Cone Collection: The Poetics of Vision," Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2001, pp. 111, 113, pl. 51, ill.
Matisse: Processus/Variation. Tokyo: Musée national d'art occidental; Le Yomiuri Shimbun; NHK, 2004, page 50, fig. 66 (published as “Deux fillettes, fond rouge et vert”).
Karen Levitov, "Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore," New York: The Jewish Museum, 2011, pp. 69, 75, 76, pl. 47, ill.
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.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1949; Etta Cone, Baltimore. by purchase, 1949; Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York; the artist
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Inscribed: Recto: Lower right in black paint, HMATISSE 47