Henri Matisse's Estate Donates 61 Masterpieces to Paris Museum
In a historic gesture of generosity, Barbara Dauphin Duthuit, wife of Claude Duthuit, Henri Matisse's grandson, has donated 61 artworks by the renowned French artist to the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris. The collection, which includes paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs, and a sculpture, features Marguerite, Matisse's daughter, as his primary subject.
Marguerite was born during Matisse's relationship with model Caroline Joblau while he was studying art in Paris. The artist took a liking to her and brought her into his family when he married four years later. However, their life together was marked by tragedy, including Marguerite contracting diphtheria at the age of six and having an emergency tracheotomy. She disguised the scar with clothing until she underwent an operation to repair it at 26.
Despite facing health issues throughout her life, Marguerite joined the French resistance during World War II and was tortured by the Gestapo. Her father's work played a significant role in his life, and she helped him catalog his art until his death in 1954. She continued working with his estate until her own passing in Paris in 1982 at the age of 87.
The donation, described as "extraordinarily generous" by museum officials, is particularly notable because Matisse preferred to keep his art within the family rather than selling it. The addition brings the total number of Matisse artworks held by the museum to 20 pieces. Fabrice Hergott, director of the Musée d'Art Moderne, has praised the portraits of Marguerite as "extremely beautiful and moving".
In a historic gesture of generosity, Barbara Dauphin Duthuit, wife of Claude Duthuit, Henri Matisse's grandson, has donated 61 artworks by the renowned French artist to the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris. The collection, which includes paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs, and a sculpture, features Marguerite, Matisse's daughter, as his primary subject.
Marguerite was born during Matisse's relationship with model Caroline Joblau while he was studying art in Paris. The artist took a liking to her and brought her into his family when he married four years later. However, their life together was marked by tragedy, including Marguerite contracting diphtheria at the age of six and having an emergency tracheotomy. She disguised the scar with clothing until she underwent an operation to repair it at 26.
Despite facing health issues throughout her life, Marguerite joined the French resistance during World War II and was tortured by the Gestapo. Her father's work played a significant role in his life, and she helped him catalog his art until his death in 1954. She continued working with his estate until her own passing in Paris in 1982 at the age of 87.
The donation, described as "extraordinarily generous" by museum officials, is particularly notable because Matisse preferred to keep his art within the family rather than selling it. The addition brings the total number of Matisse artworks held by the museum to 20 pieces. Fabrice Hergott, director of the Musée d'Art Moderne, has praised the portraits of Marguerite as "extremely beautiful and moving".