Matisse began Back (II) from a plaster cast of Back (I), which he reduced by carving and built up with more plaster as he worked, creating a more angular and massive form. He removed details from the head, hair, neck, and shoulders and reformulated the curving, S-shaped spine and soft flesh to produce a solid, stocky figure with a more geometric build.
Gallery label from Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917, July 18–October 11, 2010.
We have identified these works in the following photos from our exhibition history.
From Bauhaus to Pop: Masterworks Given by Philip Johnson
Jun 6–Sep 3, 1996
4 other works identified
From Bauhaus to Pop: Masterworks Given by Philip Johnson
Jun 6–Sep 3, 1996
5 other works identified
Painting &
Nov 20, 2004–Aug 5, 2015
1 other work identified
Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917
Jul 18–Oct 11, 2010
2 other works identified
Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917
Jul 18–Oct 11, 2010
Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913–1917
Jul 18–Oct 11, 2010
Figure in the Garden
May 20, 2011–Jul 17, 2013
5 other works identified
Figure in the Garden
May 20, 2011–Jul 17, 2013
4 other works identified
Figure in the Garden
May 20, 2011–Jul 17, 2013
5 other works identified
Figure in the Garden
May 20, 2011–Jul 17, 2013
4 other works identified
The Modern Monument
Jul 17, 2013–Jun 24, 2016
5 other works identified
The Modern Monument
Jul 17, 2013–Jun 24, 2016
4 other works identified
Sculpture from the Collection 1960–1969
Jun 25, 2016–Jul 14, 2017
4 other works identified
Sculpture from the Collection 1960–1969
Jun 25, 2016–Jul 14, 2017
5 other works identified
In 2018–19, MoMA collaborated with Google Arts & Culture Lab on a project using machine learning to identify artworks in installation photos. That project has concluded, and works are now being identified by MoMA staff.
If you notice an error, please contact us at [email protected].
This work is included in the Provenance Research Project, which investigates the ownership history of works in MoMA's collection.
Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York
The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchased from Pierre Matisse, 1956
Provenance research is a work in progress, and is frequently updated with new information. If you have any questions or information to provide about the listed works, please email [email protected] or write to:
Provenance Research Project
The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street
New York, NY 10019
If you would like to reproduce an image of a work of art in MoMA’s collection, or an image of a MoMA publication or archival material (including installation views, checklists, and press releases), please contact Art Resource (publication in North America) or Scala Archives (publication in all other geographic locations).
MoMA licenses archival audio and select out of copyright film clips from our film collection. At this time, MoMA produced video cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. All requests to license archival audio or out of copyright film clips should be addressed to Scala Archives at [email protected]. Motion picture film stills cannot be licensed by MoMA/Scala. For access to motion picture film stills for research purposes, please contact the Film Study Center at [email protected]. For more information about film loans and our Circulating Film and Video Library, please visit https://www.moma.org/research/circulating-film.
If you would like to reproduce text from a MoMA publication, please email [email protected]. If you would like to publish text from MoMA’s archival materials, please fill out this permission form and send to [email protected].
This record is a work in progress. If you have additional information or spotted an error, please send feedback to [email protected].