Henri Matisse
French, 1869 - 1954
The Dance, Summer 1932 - April 1933
Oil on canvas; three panels
When Matisse traveled to the US in 1930, he made a special trip to the Barnes Foundation since the collection held so many of his works. During his visit, Albert Barnes asked the artist to create a massive painting to fill the lunettes of his gallery. Matisse chose the subject of dancing figures and set to work in a specially rented warehouse in Nice, France. The work is on three separate canvases; look carefully and you can see where their edges meet. It is the only site-specific work in the collection.
