Matisse in Tahiti (detail), 1930; Archives Henri Matisse, all rights reserved; Photo: F. W. Murnau
Matisse and the Sea
February 17–May 12, 2024- Location
- Entrance in Taylor Hall, East Building
- Cost
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Adults: $12; seniors and students: $10; children (6–12): $6; children (5 and under): free;
Members always free.
Reduced-price tickets are available for scheduled group visits. Schedule a group visit.
“(Matisse) had spent much of his life marveling at the sea, and his creative responses to it are the subject of a beautiful show, halfway between a dossier exhibition and a full-scale monograph, at the St. Louis Art Museum.”
Sebastian Smee, The Washington Post, April 11, 2024
Matisse and the Sea is the first exhibition to examine the significance of the sea across Modernist artist Henri Matisse’s career, which included artwork in coastal locations on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. Marine imagery was an important catalyst for Matisse’s artistic experimentation—most notably in the Saint Louis Art Museum’s own iconic painting Bathers with a Turtle.
The exhibition includes imagery ranging from Matisse’s early panoramic marine views in the South of France to his late paper cutouts, representing life beneath the waves, which were inspired by his visit to Tahiti in 1930. It offers an opportunity to explore the artist’s travel across his career as well as the global influences that informed his art, particularly African sculptures and masks.
Henri Matisse, French, 1869–1954; Bathers with a Turtle, 1907–1908; oil on canvas; 71 1/2 x 87 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr. 24:1964; © 2013 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
“A wide-ranging, informative exhibition … a copiously illustrated, illuminating catalogue.”
Karen Wilkin, The Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2024
Matisse and the Sea will include a wide range of works in many media, including paintings, sculptures, paper cut-outs, drawings, prints, ceramics, and textiles.
This SLAM-organized exhibition is curated by Simon Kelly, curator of modern and contemporary art, with Abigail Yoder, curatorial assistant. It is accompanied by a scholarly exhibition catalogue, published by Hirmer, with contributions by Simon Kelly and Henri Matisse specialists John Klein, professor of art history and archaeology at Washington University, and Ellen McBreen, professor of history of art at Wheaton College.
“’Matisse and the Sea’ captures a bountiful love of nature and the artist’s celebrations of freedom.”
Farah Abdessamad, New York Observer, March 6, 2024
Funding for this exhibition is provided by the Edward L. Bakewell Jr. Endowment for Special Exhibitions.
In-kind support is provided by Christie’s.
This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Produced with the support of the FRench American Museum Exchange (FRAME).
Audio guide
The exhibition audio guide examines the significance of the sea across French modernist artist Henri Matisse’s career. Listen to the director’s welcome, along with stops featuring curator Simon Kelly, art historians, a wildlife veterinarian, and a conservation biologist.