Odalisque with Gray Trousers

Henri Matisse

1927 · Oil on canvas · Modern and Contemporary Art

Notwithstanding their kinship with earlier works by Ingres and Delacroix, the harem pictures Matisse made in Nice, such as this odalisque of 1927, had a more practical basis. As Matisse explained: "I paint odalisques in order to paint the nude. Otherwise, how is the nude to be painted without being artificial? But also, I know they exist. I was in Morocco. I saw them."

Artist

Henri Matisse

Date

1927

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

The Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg Collection, Gift of Walter H. and Leonore Annenberg, 1997, Bequest of Walter H. Annenberg, 2002