The Fondation Vuitton, in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the National Gallery of Denmark, hosted this summer the exhibition Matisse: The Red Studio, focusing on the genesis and history of this famous 1911 masterpiece, one of MoMA’s iconic works since its acquisition in 1949.

The large canvas depicts the artist’s studio filled with his paintings and sculptures, furniture, and decorative objects. This exhibition reunites the artworks shown in The Red Studio for the first time since they left Matisse’s studio in Issy- les-Moulineaux. In our presentation we will discuss the central importance in Matisse’s work of images of his studios and compare The Red Studio to other studio interiors created before and after. We will see how these images provide one of the crucial keys for understanding Matisse’s vision of art and of his artistic identity.