News — Mar 9, 2015

Dear members of the press,

We are happy to invite you to join us for the Press Preview of the exhibition The Oasis of Matisse, on Wednesday March 25, 2015, 13.00 hrs.

Program

13.00 hrs.     Welcome at the Stedelijk Museum, a small lunch will be offered
13.15 hrs.     Start presentations by director Beatrix Ruf and curator Bart Rutten
13.45 hrs      Visit exhibition
15.45 hrs.     End of preview

The Oasis of Matisse

For the first time in over sixty years, a major survey exhibition of Henri Matisse (1869–1954) will be on view in the Netherlands. Never before has such a rich selection of work by Matisse been exhibited in this country. Viewers are transported through the world renowned permanent collection display at the Stedelijk, now enriched with an array of Matisse’s world-class paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. On the top floor the artist’s famous cut-outs will be on show, featuring one of the most popular works in the Stedelijk’s collection: the monumental La Perruche et La Sirène. These iconic pieces are presented alongside rarely-seen works in fabric and stained glass that they inspired.

The Stedelijk has conceived a unique exhibition concept for this survey: the permanent collection on the museum’s ground floor will be enriched with a selection of Henri Matisse’s (1868-1854) classic pieces, creating surprising combinations with the work of his contemporaries, teachers, and followers. In this way, both the work of one of the most important artists of the twentieth century as well as other artists can be seen in a new light, and visitors will be able to encounter Matisse’s art at every stage of his artistic development.

The journey through the collection on the ground floor is a prelude to the later work of Matisse on the top floor. There, the presentation focuses on the paper cut-out The Parakeet and the Mermaid (1952/53), from the Stedelijk collection. This perennial public favorite is displayed alongside several of the artist’s other monumental cut-outs, including Memory of Oceania from the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Snail from the collection of Tate Modern, London, and The Sheaf from the Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles. The presentation also features rarely-shown textile and stained glass artworks of Matisse.

Click here for full press release.

We look forward to welcoming you at the Stedelijk Museum on March 25, 2015.

Best regards from Amsterdam,

Annematt Ruseler
Marie-José Raven

The exhibition The Oasis of Matisse is made possible with the support of the Turing Foundation, BankGiro Loterij, Fonds 21, Mondrian Fund, and the additional support of AON Corporate Solutions, Stichting Zabawas and K.F. Hein Fonds. The Stedelijk Museum would like to express its sincere thanks to principal sponsor Rabobank Amsterdam for making this exhibition possible. The Stedelijk Museum is grateful for the support from the benefactors of the Stedelijk Museum Fonds.

Note to editors:
Please let us know if you will attend the press preview by sending an email to pressoffice@stedelijk.nl. For more information and images, please contact the Press Office of the Stedelijk Museum, +31 (0)20 573 26 660 / 656 or send us an email.