Tickets for Matisse in the 1930s are Now on Sale at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Only U.S. Venue

August 22, 2022 - Philadelphia, PA - Tickets for Matisse in the 1930s—the first major exhibition to examine this transformative decade for one of the giants of 20th-century art—are now on sale. Tickets are available for purchase either in person or online at philamuseum.org. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is the only U.S. venue for this traveling exhibition. It will be on view from October 20, 2022, until January 29, 2023, before traveling to France.

Timed tickets are available for $30 (includes general admission). See below for a complete guide to ticketing, pricing, and special offers. Please note that during Pay-What-You-Wish (PWYW) days and evenings (first Sundays and Friday evenings, 5:00–8:00 p.m.), exhibition tickets are available for a flat fee of $15. Children 18 and under are admitted free. Members can visit the exhibition for free without having to reserve timed tickets.

Matisse in the 1930s will provide visitors with a rare opportunity to experience the very process through which the French artist generated a remarkably new creative approach and outlook in the later part of his career. It will trace the dramatically revitalized production—a powerful renewal—that followed from Matisse’s eventful visit to Philadelphia in 1930. Organized in collaboration with the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris and the Musée Matisse Nice, this exhibition will present 143 works, drawn from public and private collections in the United States and Europe and ranging from both renowned and rarely seen paintings and sculptures, to drawings and prints, to illustrated books. The exhibition will address the working methods that invigorated Matisse’s style during this time, as well as his modern renderings of mythological themes from antiquity, and his depictions of female models in the studio, including his muse and studio assistant Lydia Delectorskaya. It will also feature rare documentary photographs and films.

The museum will offer a full range of public programs for visitors of all ages in conjunction with the exhibition. These will include a conversation with the exhibition curators, family activities, dance performances, and virtual programs. A complete program guide will be announced at a later date and information will be made available at philamuseum.org.

About Matisse in the 1930s

By 1930, Henri Matisse (1869–1954) had achieved significant international renown, even appearing on the cover of Time magazine, and yet he found himself in a deeply troubling creative slump. A dozen years before, he had switched his base of operations from Paris to Nice. There he had focused on the theme of female models in elaborately decorated studio setups bathed in the unvarying, crystalline light of the Mediterranean. Faced with the seductiveness of that body of work, some critics wondered whether Matisse, who had been such a radical force in modern painting, had lost his experimental edge. By the later 1920s, Matisse himself had developed second thoughts, and for a couple years he produced nearly no new paintings. The turning point came in the fall of 1930, when the artist visited the Barnes Foundation in the suburbs of Philadelphia and received the commission for a three-part mural, The Dance. Matisse used this commission to turn his work around. Afterward, he returned to easel painting with new procedures and a new approach. He started using photography systematically to document the cumulative process of building his motifs and to test his own reactions as he went along. He also began using pre-colored cut papers to plan his compositions; this procedure led him away from the illusion of modeling and deep space and toward a style of flat tones and bold shapes that gave his compositions of the 1930s a new impact. In Matisse in the 1930s, the story unfolds chronologically and thematically with a prologue followed by five major sections and an epilogue centered on a new turning point in the artist’s life.

Curators

The exhibition was curated by 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.

Scholarly Catalogue

Matisse in the 1930s is the first publication to present an in-depth consideration of this key period. Essays by Matthew Affron, Cécile Debray, and Claudine Grammont are accompanied by contributions from leading scholars from both sides of the Atlantic. Published by the Musée de l’Orangerie/Musée d’Orsay and the Philadelphia Museum of Art in association with Yale University Press. The catalogue is available for purchase online or in the Museum Store starting October 2022. (256 pp.; 75 color + 75 b/w illustrations) (cloth, $50). ISBN: 978-87633-299-3.

Organization

Matisse in the 1930s is organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris; and the Musée Matisse Nice.  

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.

Public Exhibition Days and Hours

October 20, 2022– January 29, 2023

Thursday–Monday, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. (Last ticket sold 3:30 p.m.)

Friday, 11:00–8:45 p.m. (Last ticket sold 7:30 p.m.)

Ticketing

Tickets are timed for entry every 30 minutes.

(Note: Member benefits include special exhibition previews, unlimited free access with their member card, exclusive viewing hours, and reduced-price member guest tickets.)

General Admission (G.A.) Ticket Price

$5 add-on to general admission with special reduced pricing during Pay What You Wish times

Special Offers

Premium Package: Two (2) Tickets to Matisse, Exhibition Catalogue, Lunch for two at Stir (excludes alcohol, gratuity, and tip). Package Price: $180 / $168 Members.

Online only ticket: $15 return visit to the exhibition with the purchase of a regular-priced ($30) ticket online (limit two).

For information about guided group tours of the exhibition, offered Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 10:15 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., visit the website at philamuseum.org.

Parking and Transportation

Parking is available in the museum parking garage on the west side of the main building. Access the garage via Spring Garden Street, Kelly Drive, or Waterworks Drive. Accessible parking spots are available first come, first served on every level.

Bring your parking ticket to the museum for validation:

Museum visitors: $15 for first 4 hours

Museum Members: First hour free, $10 for next 4 hours

Septa buses 7, 32, 38, 43, 48, and 49 currently serve the museum area. For more information about public transportation routes and schedules, visit www.septa.org.

Visitor Tips

For a contactless and speedy entry experience, reserve tickets in advance online. Members do not need to reserve tickets in advance.

Wheelchairs are available at the museum entrances.

Works of art are moved off view and full galleries are closed periodically for a variety of reasons. Please inquire at a Visitor Services Desk upon your arrival to the museum for information on specific works of art or gallery closures.

Free Wi-Fi is available in the museum.

Exhibition Itinerary

Philadelphia Museum of Art, October 20, 2022–January 29, 2023

Paris, Musée de l’Orangerie, February 27–May 29, 2023

Musée Matisse Nice, June 23–September 24, 2023

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art

We are Philadelphia’s art museum. A world-renowned collection. A landmark building. A place that welcomes everyone. We bring the arts to life, inspiring visitors—through scholarly study and creative play—to discover the spirit of imagination that lies in everyone. We connect people with the arts in rich and varied ways, making the experience of the Museum surprising, lively, and always memorable. We are committed to inviting visitors to see the world—and themselves—anew through the beauty and expressive power of the arts.

For additional information, contact the Communications Department of the Philadelphia Museum of Art phone at 215-684-7860 or pressroom@philamuseum.org.

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