Paris, February 9, 2024 — The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris just received a remarkable gift: 61 works by Henri Matisse, directly from the artist’s family. This isn’t just a donation; it’s a rediscovery of intimacy, a vibrant echo of a father’s affection for his daughter, Marguerite, captured in brushstrokes and lines.
A Daughter’s Portrait, A Family’s Legacy
The extraordinary donation includes paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs, and a sculpture, with Marguerite Matisse as the central figure in most of the pieces.
- The donation was made by Barbara Dauphin Duthuit, the wife of Matisse’s grandson, Claude, who passed away in 2011 in New York.
- Many of the works were previously on loan to the museum for the “Matisse et Marguerite” exhibition last year.
- Marguerite was Matisse’s favorite subject, and the portraits reveal a complex story of love, illness, and resilience.
- Matisse intentionally kept his art within the family, making this gift particularly significant.
The Musée d’Art Moderne described the donation as “exceptional and historic.” It’s a gesture that not only enriches the museum’s collection—already boasting 20 Matisse artworks—but also offers a deeper understanding of the artist’s personal life and creative process. The pieces offer a glimpse into a tender relationship, a father’s unwavering gaze upon his daughter.
What makes this donation so special? It’s the sheer volume of work focused on a single subject, and the intimate nature of those works. Matisse’s portraits of Marguerite aren’t simply representations; they’re explorations of personality, emotion, and the enduring bond between parent and child.
A Life Behind the Canvas
Marguerite’s story is as compelling as the art she inspired. Born in Paris during Matisse’s relationship with model Caroline Joblau, she was acknowledged by the artist and later integrated into his family after his marriage. Her childhood wasn’t without hardship; at age six, she contracted diphtheria and underwent an emergency tracheotomy, leaving a scar she would often conceal with high-necked blouses, a detail subtly captured in many of Matisse’s portraits. She later had an operation at 26 to repair the scar.
Her resilience extended beyond her health. During World War II, Marguerite joined the French resistance, facing torture at the hands of the Gestapo and the threat of deportation. Before her father’s death in November 1954, at the age of 84, she briefly pursued painting herself, exhibiting in group shows before dedicating herself to managing his estate and cataloging his work, a task she continued until her own death in Paris in 1982, at age 87.
The donation from Barbara Dauphin Duthuit, wife of Matisse’s grandson Claude (who died in New York in 2011), came as a surprise to the museum, despite having previously loaned many of the works for the “Matisse et Marguerite” exhibition last year. Duthuit had previously gifted the Pompidou Centre with “Marguerite with a Black Cat” in 2013.
Fabrice Hergott, director of the MAM, described the portraits of Marguerite as “extremely beautiful and moving.” He added that Duthuit’s generosity reflects her “deep commitment to and confidence in the museum, which effectively becomes Marguerite’s new home for the decades and centuries to come.” It’s a fitting tribute to a woman who lived a life as vibrant and complex as the art she inspired.
