Orchestra Hall, Symphony Center
Optional lunch (by reservation) at the Art Institute
Cost: Seminar $30, Luncheon $24

In the monumental career of Henri Matisse (1869–1954), the brief years between 1913 and 1917 witnessed the production of the artist’s most experimental and enigmatic works: paintings that are abstracted and purged of descriptive detail, geometric and sharply composed, and dominated by the colors black and gray. This period included works that Matisse himself later called “pivotal” for his career, including the Art Institute’s Bathers by a River, the centerpiece of the museum’s exhibition Matisse and the Methods of Modern Construction. Exploring the development of Matisse’s creative process, the seminar will focus on a critical moment in the development of Modernism.

Composers were also following a new path, utilizing lean construction, irregular form, and rhythmic structure. The event will be hosted by Stephanie D’Alessandro, curator of the Matisse exhibit and the Gary C. and Frances Comer Curator of Modern Art for the AIC, along with Gerard McBurney, Beyond the Score Creative Director for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Performances by CSO musicians complement the examination of the visual arts, words, and music of this tumultuous era. If you attended last year’s Joint Seminar, you will not want to miss this presentation.

After lunch attendees can enjoy a self-guided tour* of Matisse and the Methods of Modern Construction.


*Special exhibitions are subject to museum capacity.

Henri Matisse. Bathers by a River, March 1909–10, May–November 1913, and summer 1916–17.  Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection.