Interior with an Etruscan Vase (Intérieur au vase étrusque)

1940

Henri Matisse

(French, 1869–1954)

Culture

France, 20th century

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Framed: 102.2 x 129.5 x 12.1 cm (40 1/4 x 51 x 4 3/4 in.); Unframed: 73.7 x 108 cm (29 x 42 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Hanna Fund 1952.153

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Location

On view at Acquavella Galleries, Inc., New York, NY, Apr 9, 2026 - May 22, 2026

Did You Know?

When Matisse's Blue Nude was shown in the 1913 Armory show, the violent, unnaturalistic colors and distorted forms so enraged students and faculty from the Art Institute of Chicago that they burned a copy in effigy.

Description

In this interior, a woman is seated at a table with an open book and scattered fruits. The artist painted green potted philodendrons, a red patterned curtain, and an orange antique vase to create an exuberantly colorful composition. Henri Matisse painted this interior in his studio-residence at the Hôtel Régina in Nice on the coast of southeastern France about six months after the outbreak of WWII. As he explained in a letter to a friend, making art provided the equilibrium he needed to withstand the tragedy unfolding in the world beyond his studio.