Henri Matisse painted many subjects throughout his life, but he returned to his daughter Marguerite time and time again. “Matisse and Marguerite through the eyes of his father” in Paris brings together over 100 works (paintings as well as paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramics), capturing the essence of Marguerite Duthuit-Matisse. The museum calls her “less known”, but, as co-curator of the exhibition, Charlotte Barat-Mabille, told observers, “Matisse portrays his daughter more than a hundred times, and her portraits are on display in many major international exhibitions.”
Maybe little known, but often shown? “The fact remains that so far the public doesn't know much about her,” Barat-Mabille clarified. “One of the reasons may be that Margaret herself is a rather private or reserved person, for example, she was interviewed only once in 1970 in her life. She avoided the issue when reporters started asking her if she inspired her father, and talked about his other models.”
This kind of person who doesn't want to talk about personal affairs is very shared in the Matisse family, but Marguerite is known to be her father's muse and later his manager. From childhood to her young adulthood, she was his most persistent role model, the only person he has appeared in his works for decades. “Matisse and Margaret through the eyes of the father” trace the bond between the father and daughter and their mutual trust and respect. It also sheds light on the influence of Marguerite on Henri's profession and artwork.
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Marguerite is the eldest of Matisse's three children, born in 1894, the result of a brief relationship between an artist and then a young painting student and his model Caroline Joblaud. Her father was legally recognized and grew up with his half-brothers Jean Matisse (1899-1976) and Pierre Matisse (1900-1989), Henri and his wife, Amélie Matisse.
Although everyone was happy, Marguerite's youth was characterized by pain and illness. Due to poor health, she did not go to normal school and became a “studio child” watching her father work. At the age of seven, her first tracheotomy left scars on her neck, and she often hid it with a black ribbon: a unique feature in many of her portraits.
“In the painting of the show, which may have been created after her painful tracheotomy, Margaret's face was covered with white. She looked very pale and weak, but at the same time, she looked at us with such a big, dark eyes, at such intensity,” Barat-Mabille said. “It's a very poignant painting that says it all: she's fragile, but she's also very strong.”
Years later in 1923, Marguerite married writer Georges Dutt and was no longer a father's painting. But she continued to work for him, collectors, historians and art dealers. She will eventually direct the convention of his catalogue of works by Raisonné (a task she had never seen before a year after her death in 1982). During World War II, she was an active part of the French resistance movement and was arrested and tortured by Gestapo, but she managed to escape because she was transported to a concentration camp. Henri painted her in 1945, showing her the pain of her only child, Claude.
In the exhibition organized on the chronology, some rare works include Margaret and the Black Catcompleted in 1910, wearing a blue dress against a green background. This is a painting that Henry never wanted to sell. “Like many artists, Matisse is well aware of the importance of certain paintings; he knows it is one of the most beautiful portraits he has created and one of the most radical portraits,” co-curator Isabelle Monod-Fontaine told Observer.
Matisse displays the painting in several exhibitions, including the 1913 Original Armory Exhibition (“International Exhibition of Modern Art”). “But for him, this grand image was certainly created after his daughter,” Monod-Fontaine added. But other works featuring Marguerite are also for sale Margaret Readingof course, there are other models for Henri Matisse. Another rare job to see here is Chapeau de RosesPortrait of Amélie Matisse in 1914.
Marguerite EndormieMonod-fontaine said the book was drawn in étretat in 1920 and is now part of the Norton Art Museum of Art collection. “So did the three paintings borrowed by the Baltimore Museum of Art, too Marguerite en Manteauécossaisborrowed by private collection. “For the artist's fans, the exhibition may represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, often hiding certain works in collections in the United States, Switzerland and Japan.
“Mattis and Margaret through father's eyes” Until August 24, 2025, Art Modern Muster is located in Paris.
