23-017 Matisse “Nu-dans-les-Ondes” 1938 Litho 1990

“Nu-dans-les-Ondes” (Nude in the Waves) 1938 by Henri Matisse. Offered here is a vintage offset lithograph printed in 1990 by Graphique de France on heavy art paper as authorized by the estate “Succession H. Matisse.” 19×15 inches as framed in matte white wood.

The original engraving was featured in a 1990 exhibit at the Musée Matisse in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France. We assume that this lithograph was sold at the museum gift shop, since the advertising poster they used featured this image as well.

The exhibition catalog describes this image: “Le graveur retrouve l’écriture du dessin qui va à l’essentiel du trait pour mieux suggérer la figure, car la figure chez Matisse est au centre de l’œuvre. La silhouette est esquissée. Le trait est fluide et économe. Un nu dans les ondes, 1938, est constitué de huit traits. La figure nage à l’horizontal sous la mer suggérée par trois vagues, trois sinusoïdes.”

It’s interesting to note that this image is a horizontal (landscape), not a vertical (portrait). The internet image search shows most of the images incorrectly.