Two generations. One electric conversation.

Contemporary painter Louis Fratino enters into a vibrant dialogue with modern master Henri Matisse in Fratino and Matisse: To See This Light Again. Born in Annapolis and trained at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Fratino spent years studying the Baltimore Museum of Art’s expansive Matisse collection. This influence shines through in his luminous interiors, sensual color, and intimate portrayals of the male figure.

This striking exhibition brings Fratino’s paintings together with masterworks by Matisse including figures, interiors, still lifes, and self-portraits. Side by side, their works ignite a dynamic exchange about color, light, pattern, and the emotional power of painting.

Drawn from the BMA’s celebrated Cone Collection, special loans, and new works created by Fratino for this exhibition, the show places two artists nearly a century apart into thrilling conversation.

Co-curated by Virginia Anderson, Senior Curator of American Art, Department Head of American Painting & Sculpture and Decorative Arts, and Katy Rothkopf, The Anne and Ben Cone Memorial Director of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies, Senior Curator of European Painting and Sculpture.