PAINT THE TOWN BLUE, BLUE, BLUE

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Henri Matisse inspired Blue Dress Bag by Room Shop, 2022

Three Events to Celebrate & Explore "Matisse in the 1930s"

Philadelphia, PA, November 10, 2022 - Paint the Town Blue at the Blue Dress Soirée on November 18, 2022, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, celebrating the acclaimed Matisse in the 1930s exhibition on display now through January 29, 2023.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend and dress in blue, in honor of Henri Matisse’s star painting Woman in Blue, which is prominently displayed in the exhibition. Enjoy creative Matisse-inspired blue cocktails and hors d’oeuvres provided by Constellation Culinary Group. Blue-inspired music and activities will create a whimsical, Instagram-worthy atmosphere in one of the Philadelphia’s most iconic settings. Enjoy a stroll through the Matisse exhibition, which includes about 140 choice works gathered from around the world, and many other beautiful galleries around the museum.

To round out the immersive experience, the retail shop adjacent to the Matisse exhibition features locally designed Matisse-inspired items including a custom satin handmade blue ruffle bag with Cluny lace trim made by Room Shop.

In addition to the Blue Dress Soirée, art aficionados can delve deeper into great French art and the world of Matisse at two virtual events, one hosted by the French Embassy and another by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. See below for details and RSVP links.

Live Virtual Event

Museum Series #12: Philadelphia Museum of Art and Matisse in the 1930s
November 16, 2022, 6:00 p.m.

The Museum Series is a program of curatorial talks organized by the Villa Albertine in Washington D.C. in collaboration with museums.

Villa Albertine DC is honored to host Sasha Suda, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Jennifer A. Thompson, the Gloria and Jack Drosdick Curator of European Painting and Sculpture and Curator of the John G. Johnson Collection, and Matthew Affron, the Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art, in a discussion about the European collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the new exhibition Matisse in the 1930s.

This conversation is moderated by Faya Causey, former head of academic programs at the National Gallery of Art, and is followed by a Q&A session with the audience

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/museum-series-12-philadelphia-museum-of-art-tickets-457247388247

Live Virtual Event

Matisse, the Model & the Studio
The Irma and Herbert Barness Endowed Lecture, Philadelphia Museum of Art
November 17, 2022, 12:00 p.m.

A panel of scholars and curators, including Claudine Grammont and Ellen McBreen, discuss the life and work of Lydia Delectorskaya, Matisse’s studio assistant, manager, and model. She is the woman represented in Matisse’s The Blue Dress and numerous other works. This talk shines a light on the importance of this often-overlooked figure, providing a deeper understanding of her role in Matisse’s studio practice.

Moderated by curator Matthew Affron.

Blue Dress Soirée
November 18, 2022, 5:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Guests are encouraged to dress in blue, taking a cue from Woman in Blue. Enjoy blue cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, blue-inspired music and activities in one of the city’s most iconic settings. Experience the Matisse exhibition and many other beautiful galleries throughout the museum. Philadelphia is the first and only U.S. venue for Matisse in the 1930s.

The Blue Dress Soirée is open to the public (Pay What You Wish). Tickets to the Matisse exhibition on Friday evenings are offered at a reduced rate of $15 for adults and students. Admission for Members is always free.

About Matisse in the 1930s

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, in collaboration with the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris and the Musée Matisse Nice, is presenting the first major exhibition ever dedicated to the pivotal decade of the 1930s in the art of Henri Matisse (1869–1954), one of the giants of twentieth-century art. Opening first in Philadelphia, the only United States venue, Matisse in the 1930s contains about 140 works from public and private collections in the United States and Europe, ranging from both renowned and rarely seen paintings and sculptures, to drawings and prints, to illustrated books. It also features documentary photographs and films. The exhibition is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated scholarly catalogue. Matthew Affron, Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Cécile Debray, President of the Musée National Picasso-Paris; and Claudine Grammont, Director of the Musée Matisse Nice, comprise the curatorial team.

Organization
Matisse in the 1930s is co-organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, and the Musée Matisse Nice. Each of these three institutions has an important connection to Matisse’s art and contains rich holdings in his art of this period, making them natural partners for this first-of-its-kind exhibition. In France, the topic will be considered in terms of the promotion of Matisse’s work by the Parisian art journal Cahiers d’art, while the Philadelphia Museum of Art will present a comprehensive survey of Matisse’s work in that decade.

LOGO_ORANGERIE_GRAISSE_NOIR.pdf

Support
In Philadelphia, the exhibition is made possible by the Annenberg Foundation Fund for Major Exhibitions, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Gloria and Jack Drosdick Fund for Special Exhibitions, the Harriet and Ronald Lassin Fund for Special Exhibitions, the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Fund for Exhibitions, Mr. and Mrs. William C. Buck, Mr. and Mrs. Christopher H. Gadsden, Mrs. Henry F. Harris, Independence Blue Cross, the Robert Lehman Foundation, The Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Barbara A. Podell and Mark G. Singer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Robbi and Bruce Toll, Constance and Sankey Williams, and other generous donors.

Support for the accompanying publication was provided by The Davenport Family Foundation and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation. Promotional support has been provided by PHLCVB and Visit Philadelphia.

Matisse in the 1930s is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.

Promotional support has been provided by PHL CVB and Visit Philly.

Itinerary
Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 19, 2022–January 29, 2023
Paris, Musée de l’Orangerie, February 27, 2023–May 29, 2023
Musée Matisse Nice, June 23, 2023–September 24, 2023