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Canberra Today 14°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

New Matisse for the NGA

MATISSE, "Oceania the sea" 1946, NGA 2012

THE National Gallery of Australia has purchased a new international acquisition, “Oceania, the sea” (1946) by Henri Matisse.

The large scale work was purchased with funds generously provided by NGA council member Timothy Fairfax.

The 4 metre canvas and silk screen work will now partner the gallery’s “Oceania, the sky”, acquired in 1990, which is, along with 51 other works from the NGA’s Matisse holdings, presently on loan to “Matisse: Drawing Life” at the Queensland Art Gallery.

Both the “Oceania” works were based on a cut-out paper maquette, produced by Matisse, and were inspired by a trip to Tahiti in the 1930s.

“Oceania, the sea” comprises numerous cut-out motifs of fish, other sea creatures and plants, floating on a golden surface.

Director the gallery, Ron Radford, praised Mr Fairfax for his generosity, saying, “Not only is the work a superb addition to the National Gallery of Australia’s collection of modern art, ‘Oceania, the sea’ also relates to the broader collection, particularly its strong holdings of South East Asian textiles and Pacific Art”.

The work acquired is in excellent condition. A late work, it is is signed and dedicated to the artist’s son, Pierre, and was acquired from the Matisse family.

The NGA has the largest Matisse collection in Australasia. As well as an oil painting, “The abduction of Europa” 1929, the collection also holds Matisse’s illustrated books, including, “Jazz 1947”, costumes designed for the Ballets Russes, five drawings in charcoal, 16 in pencil, and four in pen-and-ink, as well as etchings, lithographs and linocuts.

Henri Matisse Oceania, the sea (Océanie, la mer)  1946, screenprint on linen 172 x 385.4 cm National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Purchased 2011-2012. Image courtesy of Christie’s, New York

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