The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Two Women

c. 1908

Henri Matisse

(French, 1869–1954)
France, 20th century
bronze
Overall: 45.7 x 25.7 cm (18 x 10 1/8 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold T. Clark 1957.144
© Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Location: 223 20th Century Avant-Garde

Did You Know?

Matisse based this sculpture on a photograph of two women published in the ethnographic journal L’Humanité feminine (Feminine Humanity) in 1907.

Description

This is the only sculpture Henri Matisse made of multiple figures. At first glance, the figures may appear identical; however, upon more careful observation, differences in their poses become apparent. One stands with legs together; the other’s legs are apart. One figure’s arm hangs freely; the other’s rests near her hip. Yet in another sense, the two figures act as one, mirrored so that the viewer can see the front and back of the human form simultaneously.
  • 1929
    (Galerie Pierre Matisse, Paris, France, May 1929)
    (Curt Valentin Gallery, New York, NY)
    1957
    Mr. Harold T. Clark [1882-1965] and Mrs. Harold T. Clark [1896-1971], Cleveland,OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1957-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, Gabriel P. Weisberg, and H. W. Janson. Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1975.
    Cleveland Museum of Art. The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014. Reproduced: P. 22
    Kelly, Simon. Matisse and the Sea. Saint Louis, Mo.: Saint Louis Art Museum; Munich, Germany: Hirmer, 2024. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 82-83
  • Matisse and the Sea. Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO (organizer) (February 17-May 12, 2024).
    Changing Dimensions: Works on Paper by Sculptors. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 22, 1995-January 24, 1996).
    Traditions and Revisions: Themes from the History of Sculpture. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 24-November 16, 1975).
  • {{cite web|title=Two Women|url=false|author=Henri Matisse|year=c. 1908|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1957.144