Installation view of Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs at The Museum of Modern Art, New York (October 12, 2014-February 10, 2015). Photo: Jonathan Muzikar. © 2014 The Museum of Modern Art. Shown (from left): Black Leaf on Green Background. 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted. The Menil Collection, Houston; Nuit de Noël. 1952. Maquette for stained-glass window. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted, mounted on board. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Time Inc.; Black Leaf on Red Background. 1952. Gouache on paper, cut and pasted. Private collection; Nuit de Noël. 1952. Stained glass. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Time Inc.; All works by Henri Matisse. © 2014 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
In 1952 Henri Matisse was commissioned to make a stained-glass window for the Time Life Company.
The window, titled Nuit de Noël, was exhibited at Rockefeller Center during the holiday season, and on December 4, 1952, Matisse wrote to MoMA’s founding director Alfred H. Barr:
“If you have a chance to see it you will agree with me that a maquette for a stained-glass window and the window itself are like a musical score and its performance by an orchestra.”
We are delighted that this work, along with the maquette or preparatory design, is once again on view for holiday revelers to enjoy in Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs.
Inside/Out will return with a new post on Monday, December 29. Happy holidays!