Arts

At the MFA, get up close with the objects in Henri Matisse’s paintings

Henri Matisse's "Safrano Roses at the Window," and the real vase that appears in it. MFA Boston

January 12, 2017

In 1898, Henri Matisse received a silver chocolate pot as a wedding gift. The pot would later star in numerous works by the renowned French artist, including the never-before-exhibited watercolor “Still Life and Heron Studies” (about 1900) and “Bouquet of Flowers in a Chocolate Pot” (1902).

Matisse featured his personal belongings again and again in his art. He even once likened objects to actors, saying, according to the MFA, “A good actor can have a part in 10 different plays; an object can play a role in 10 different pictures.”

The silver chocolate pot and dozens of other objects dear to Matisse will be on display this spring at the Museum of Fine Arts in a new international exhibition called “Matisse in the Studio.” The 35 items that Matisse once kept in his studios, on loan from the Musee Matisse in Nice and private collections, include vases, furniture, textiles, pitchers, and more.

Matisse’s “Purple Robe and Anemones,” and the actual pot that Matisse painted.

The exhibition will also include 26 drawings, 11 bronzes, seven cut-outs, four prints, and an illustrated book, plus photos of the artist’s works in progress and his studios in Nice, Venice, and other cities.

“’Matisse in the Studio’ offers the rare opportunity to observe the workings of a great artist’s mind,” said Helen Burnham, co-curator of the exhibit, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be able to display so many objects from Matisse’s own collection and demonstrate their central importance to his creative process.”

The exhibition will be on display from April 9 to July 9 in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery.