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Cat. 1  Standing Female Nude Seen from the Back, 1900/01 Cat. 2  Self-Portrait, c. 1901 Cat. 3  The Serf, 1900–03 Cat. 4  Nude in Profile, 1903–04 Cats. 5–6  Boats, 1905 • Grounded Fishing Boat, 1905 Cats. 7–8  Madame Matisse with Her Fan, 1906 • Nude in a Folding Chair, 1906 Cats. 9–11  Woman Leaning on Her Hands, 1905 • Thorn Extractor, 1906 • Still Life with Geranium, 1906 Cats. 12–13  Standing Female Nude with Chair, 1907 • Seated Female Nude, One Foot on a Stool, 1910 Cats. 14–15  Small Crouching Nude without an Arm, 1908 • Standing Female Nude, Twisting toward Her Back, 1908 Cat. 16  Seated Female Nude, Holding One Knee, with a Sketch of a Foot, Aug. 1909 Cat. 17  Girl with a Cat, 1910 Cat. 18  Female Nude Lying Facedown on a Table, 1911/early 1912 Cat. 19  Portrait of Elsa Glaser, 1914 Cat. 20  Portrait of Walter Pach, 1914 Cats. 21–22  Still Life with Goldfish III, 1914/15 • Still Life with Goldfish V, 1914/15 Cat. 23  Young Girl with Braids, c. 1916 Cat. 24  Apples, 1916 Cat. 25  Bathers by a River, March 1909–10, May–November 1913, and early spring 1916–October (?) 1917 Cat. 26  Laurette with a Cup of Coffee, 1916–17 Cats. 27–28  Woman with a Shawl, in a Garden, c. 1918 • Young Girl with Long Hair, c. 1919 Cat. 29  Girl in Plumed Hat (Mlle Antoinette), 1919 Cat. 30  Interior at Nice, 1919 or 1920 Cat. 31  Reclining Nude, c. 1920 Cat. 32  Portrait of Léonide Massine, 1920 Cat. 33  Woman on a Rose Divan, 1921 Cat. 34  Woman before an Aquarium, 1921–23 Cats. 35–37  Reclining Female Nude with a Raised Knee, 1923/24 • Seated Nude with Arms Raised, c. 1925 • Seated Nude, 1922–29, cast 1951 Cat. 38  Seated Woman with Full-Skirted Dress, c. 1926 Cat. 39  Lemons on a Pewter Plate, 1926 Cat. 40–41  Dancer Resting, 1927 • Seated Dancer, 1927 Cat. 42  Young Woman with a Veil, 1929 Cat. 43  Portrait of John Dewey, 1930/34 Cats. 44–45  Study for Anemones and Woman (Study for “Odalisque, Harmony in Blue”), 1937 • Anemones in a Vase, 1944 Cat. 46  Girl in Yellow and Blue with a Guitar, 1939 Cat. 47  Daisies, 1939 Cats. 48–49  Head of a Woman, 1941 • Head of a Woman, 1942 Cat. 50  Matisse’s Dining Room—1941, 1941 Cat. 51  Blue Vase on a Venetian Armchair, 1943 Cats. 52–54  Girl at a Table, 1944 • Young Woman before a Table, 1944 • Woman Seated at a Table with Fruit and Pitcher, 1944 Cat. 55  Bust of a Woman, 1944 Cat. 56  Untitled, 1947 Cat. 57  Head, 1947 Cat. 58  Oceania, the Sea, 1948

Alt text for the image

Cat. 31

Reclining Nude[1]
Nice, c. 1920
Graphite, with erasing and touches of stumping, on ivory wove paper; 26.8 × 40.5 cm (10 3/8 × 15 7/8 in.)
Signed: Henri-Matisse (lower right, in graphite)
The Art Institute of Chicago, gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection, 1998.708

The climate and luminosity of the Mediterranean coast had attracted Henri Matisse since his sojourn to Saint-Tropez in the summer of 1904. He first visited the nearby city of Nice in 1916 and settled permanently in the city in the fall of 1921. From his apartment on the place Charles-Félix, Matisse could see the water and watch the play of light on the city and sea. Though he certainly drew inspiration from these surroundings, they were not his only artistic preoccupations during the 1920s. During this period, he produced a number of works on the odalisque theme in a variety of media, including drawings, paintings, and prints. In his paintings (see cat. 33), the artist explored his interest in vibrant color and decorative pattern; typically, he depicted a nude or partially clothed model reclining on a settee amid an exotic array of ornate cushions and textiles, Moorish furniture, and richly embellished wallpaper. At the close of the 1920s, Matisse explained his attraction to the subject: “I do odalisques in order to do nudes. But how does one do the nude without being artificial? And then, because I know they [odalisques] exist. I was in Morocco. I have seen them . . . and so was able to put them in my pictures back in France without playing make-believe.”[2]1

The Art Institute’s Reclining Nude belongs to this series of lounging odalisques. The paper, covered with a minimum of line, forms an integral part of the composition, representing not only the woman’s skin but also the settee on which she rests, her right arm against her head and body turned toward the viewer. Matisse delicately shaded the figure with stumping, which heightens the impression of realism and, as was typical of his drafting methods, he further exposed white areas through erasing. The figure nonetheless appears solid and sculptural. Classicism was a general trend in art during the 1920s—accompanied in Matisse’s case by a movement toward greater naturalism. Though the artist’s choice of subject and style may be a nod to the Neoclassical nudes of one of his favorite nineteenth-century artists, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Matisse’s figure is without affect and fully of the present.
Brandon Ruud[3]2

Technical Summary3

Henri Matisse began by sketching light pencil lines on ivory wove paper. He made several adjustments to the position of the figure and chaise before anchoring the composition with definitive, dark contours (see fig. 31.1). The artist used parallel hatching alongside his forms to add shading and lend them volume, such as with the breast and leg. In places he partially erased lines to diminish earlier positions, for example, to the left of the head, to the left of the chaise, along the outside of the proper left arm and hand, and to the left of the torso, below the breast. The selective erasing helped to clarify the final contours. In other areas, such as the feet and the leg of the chaise, Matisse did not attempt to erase evidence of alterations (see fig. 31.2). He used a stump to create touches of diffuse tone in soft graphite on the chaise beneath the figure’s knee and ankles. The artist also used a stump to blend lines along the lower edge of the chaise.4

There are single pinholes at the top right and left corners, which may indicate Matisse drew with the paper pinned to a board or hung it after drawing.
5

Top center shows a person with a bent arm, the hand resting near the chin. To the right are the lower half of the face, neck, and shoulder. The large forearm curves down the left side into the upper torso and armpit area, with all features outlined in shades of gray on a white background. The forearm is prominent and takes up more space than the visible portion of the face.

Fig. 31.1


Detail of Matisse’s Reclining Nude (c. 1920) showing how the artist finalized his contours for the proper right arm with a heavy graphite line over searching preliminary marks. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998.708.

Fig. 31.2


Detail of Matisse’s Reclining Nude (c. 1920) showing that the artist did not erase the previous positions of the feet. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998.708.

Signature6

Signed: Henri-Matisse (lower right, in graphite) (fig. 31.3).
7

An off-white background fills the frame, with uneven edges along the bottom and right sides. Near the lower left, faint thin gray curved lines arc upward and occupy a small area. At the lower right, small gray handwritten text reads “Henri - matisse.”

Fig. 31.3


Detail of Matisse’s Reclining Nude (c. 1920) showing the signature. The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998.708.

Media and Support8

Media9

Graphite with erasing and touches of stumping.
10

Support11

The support is moderately thick, slightly textured, ivory wove paper that is somewhat translucent.[4] The right, left, and bottom edges have a deckle edge, which together with the small format, indicates this is a handmade sheet. Transmitted light shows an uneven fiber distribution throughout, also characteristic of handmade paper. The sheet contains a low percentage of fine, brown fibers and occasional small brown inclusions visible at magnification 2×.12

The top edge was unevenly trimmed along a faint graphite guideline. It is unclear when this was carried out. It is not possible to determine how much was trimmed, but it was likely very little; Matisse’s placement of the composition near the other three edges suggests that it would have been oriented closely to the original top edge. A fragment of a ruled graphite line, likely a framer’s mark, is also visible at the lower right corner.
13

Dimensions14

26.8 × 40.5 cm (10 3/8 × 15 7/8 in.).
15

Conservation16

Examination and Treatment History17

The drawing underwent conservation treatment in 2015 to remove deleterious hinges and adhesive residues from the verso (fig. 31.4), reduce surface soil from the margins, and humidify and flatten the sheet.[5] There is evidence that the drawing also underwent conservation treatment prior to entering the museum’s collection. A light-gray mat-burn stain appears faint, as if it has been diminished locally through the application of an oxidizing agent. There is a small amount of residual adhesive on the lower corners of the verso where hinges or tapes have been removed. These interventions appear to have been carried out carefully and sensitively.
18

A large off-white sheet fills the frame from edge to edge. Near the upper right is a faint stamp mark; along the bottom edge are small pencil notes, including a short phrase at the center, the number “321” at the lower right, and a tiny penciled mark at the lower left. The paper has slightly rough edges and subtle texture, with no figures or objects present.

Fig. 31.4


Verso of Matisse’s Reclining Nude (c. 1920). The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998.708.

Condition Summary19

There is a faint remnant of a mat-burn stain along the perimeter. There are very faint golden stains near the lower left corner. There is surface soil at the tip of the lower left corner. The sheet has gentle undulations evident at the top and lower edges. There are adhesive and paper remnants from previous hinges at the top corners of the verso.

Kristi Dahm
20

New Gallery, New York, by May 26, 1962.[6]21

Sold through Klipstein and Kornfeld, Bern, lot 782, to M. Light, R. M. Light and Company, Boston, May 26, 1962–June 19, 1962.[7]22

Sold to Dorothy Braude Edinburg (c. 1921–Jan. 5, 2015), June 19, 1962.[8]23

Partially given to the Art Institute of Chicago, Jan. 11, 1999.[9]
24

Klipstein and Kornfeld, Moderne Kunst: Des Neunzehnten und Zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts, sale cat. (Klipstein and Kornfeld, Bern, May 25–26, 1962), p. 101, no. 782; pl. 64, no. 782, as Nu étendu.[10]25

Jay A. Clarke, Drawn to Form: Modern Drawings from Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection in the Art Institute of Chicago, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago, 1999), n.pag., as Reclining Nude, c. 1920.26

“Catalogue: Modernism,” in Drawings in Dialogue: Old Master through Modern; The Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection, exh. cat., ed. Suzanne Folds McCullagh (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2006), p. 146.27

Brandon Ruud, “Catalogue: Modernism: Henri Matisse: 143,” in Drawings in Dialogue: Old Master through Modern; The Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection, exh. cat., ed. Suzanne Folds McCullagh (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2006), pp. 194, cat. 143 (ill.); 195, as Reclining Nude, c. 1920.
28

Inscriptions and Distinguishing Marks29

Verso30

Inscription
Location: lower center
Method: graphite
Content: Jeune Fille sur un Canapé (fig. 31.5)
31

Across the middle, faint light gray handwriting runs left to right, reading “Jeune Fille sur un Canapé.” The background is off-white with subtle texture, and there are wide empty margins above and below the line of text. The writing is small and thin, centered horizontally with no other elements present.

Fig. 31.5


Number
Location: lower right corner
Method: graphite
Content: 321 (fig. 31.6)
32

On a light off-white background, three gray numerals are centered. Left to right, they read 3, 2, 1, formed with thin gray lines and standing upright; the 1 is slightly taller than the 3 and 2. The spacing between the digits is narrow, and they share a common baseline.

Fig. 31.6


Inscription
Location: lower right corner
Method: graphite, erased
Content: Calote / [illegible] / [illegible] 63 (fig. 31.7)
33

An off-white textured surface fills the frame. From top to bottom, the color stays pale with subtle speckles, and the right and bottom edges are uneven and slightly wavy. Near the lower right edge, there are faint gray smudges.

Fig. 31.7


Inscription
Location: lower left corner
Method: graphite
Content: NG (fig. 31.8)
34

At the far left is a rough, uneven edge of an off-white textured surface. Moving right, small gray pencil marks show a clear “N” followed by a second, unclear character near the center-left. The marks are thin and short, occupying a small area compared to the overall surface, with the rest of the area plain and unmarked.

Fig. 31.8


Number
Location: lower left corner
Method: graphite
Content: 36 (fig. 31.9)
35

A light off-white textured surface fills the frame. In the top left, a small fragment of a faint gray line is visible; moving toward the center, a short curved gray stroke sits below a slightly darker V-shaped mark. The gray markings are small compared to the surrounding area, with wide empty space around them.

Fig. 31.9


Number
Location: lower left corner
Method: graphite
Content: 3 [or 5] xxx (fig. 31.10)
36

Top-left area shows an off-white textured surface with an irregular edge along the left and bottom sides. Near the lower center, there are small, faint gray marks in a short cluster, tiny compared to the surface. The surrounding background is plain white, and no other objects or people are present.

Fig. 31.10


Stamp
Location: upper right
Method: black ink stamp
Content: COLLECTION / DBE / COLLECTION (fig. 31.11)
37

On a cream surface, faint gray uppercase letters appear in three lines. From top to bottom: “COLLECTION,” “D B E,” and “COLLECTION” again. The text is small and faint, positioned near the center with wide empty space around it.

Fig. 31.11


Examination Conditions and Scientific Analysis38

The media and their application, as well as the condition of the artwork, were assessed through visual examination using normal, transmitted, and raking light; microscope magnification (80–300×); and ultraviolet-light examination (254 and 365 nm).
39

Notes

  1. The work was published as Nu étendu in Klipstein and Kornfeld, Moderne Kunst: Des Neunzehnten und Zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts, sale cat. (Klipstein and Kornfeld, May 25–26, 1962), p. 101.
  2. Henri Matisse, as quoted in E. Tériade, “Visite à Henri Matisse,” L’intransigeant, Jan. 14 and 22, 1929, partially excerpted as “Propos de Henri Matisse à Tériade,” Verve 4 (Dec. 13, 1945), p. 56, and translated in Jack Flam, Matisse on Art, rev. ed. (University of California Press, 1995), p. 86.
  3. This entry is adapted from Brandon Ruud’s entry on the work in Suzanne Folds McCullagh, ed., Drawings in Dialogue: Old Master through Modern; The Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection, exh. cat. (Art Institute of Chicago/Yale University Press, 2006), p. 194.
  4. Descriptions of paper thickness and texture follow the standard set forth in Elizabeth Lunning and Roy Perkinson, The Print Council of America Paper Sample Book: A Practical Guide to the Description of Paper (Print Council of America/Sun Hill, 1996).
  5. Kristi Dahm, conservation treatment report, June 17, 2015, conservation object file, Department of Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago.
  6. Eberhard Kornfeld to Emily Vokt, Mar. 7, 2003; photocopy in curatorial object file, Department of Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago.
  7. Invoice from R. M. Light and Company to Dorothy Braude Edinburg (as Mrs. J. M. Edinburg), June 19, 1962; photocopy in curatorial object file, Department of Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago. Mr. Light likely “purchased the Matisse drawing at the 1962 Kornfeld auction on commission from Dorothy Edinburg”; Robert M. Light to Renée DeVoe, email, May 26, 2014; photocopy in curatorial object file.
  8. Invoice from R. M. Light and Company to Dorothy Braude Edinburg (as Mrs. J. M. Edinburg), June 19, 1962; photocopy in curatorial object file, Department of Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago.
  9. Committee on Prints and Drawings meeting minutes, Dec. 8, 1998, pp. 7–8; Board of Trustees meeting minutes, Jan. 11, 1999, p. 8; photocopies in curatorial object file, Department of Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago. The Committee on Prints and Drawings recommended acceptance of the gift on December 8, 1998. The Board of Trustees approved the Committee’s recommendations on January 11, 1999.
  10. Description from title page: Die Sammlung K. L. und Bestände aus verschiedenen schweizerischen und ausländischen Privatsammlungen.

How to Cite

Entry by Brandon Rudd, technical report by Kristi Dahm, "Cat. 31 Reclining Nude, c. 1920," in Matisse Paintings, Works on Paper, Sculpture, and Textiles at the Art Institute of Chicago, rev ed. (2019; repr., Art Institute of Chicago, 2025), https://doi.org/10.53269/9780865593022/32

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