Museum Talks | Washington, DC #21 The Baltimore Museum of Art – The Art of Pattern: Henri Matisse and Japanese Woodcut Artists

The conversation will be moderated by Faya Causey, former Head of Academic Programs at the National Gallery of Art, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

This virtual talk will be held through Zoom here.

Exhibition

This exhibition pairs Henri Matisse’s compositions with those of 19th-century Japanese woodcut artists to explore the global appeal of color and pattern across space and time. The Art of Pattern: Henri Matisse and Japanese Woodcut Artists features several paintings and prints by Matisse from the 1920s, with posed models and heavily patterned interior backgrounds, reflecting the artist’s interest in layering his works from this period with decorative items from around the world. He incorporated prints and patterns into his compositions to create and define spaces, constructing a theatrical setting for his subjects to inhabit.

In contrast to Matisse, Japanese woodcut artists working in the 19th century depicted their female subjects more often in public spaces clothed in layers of ornately decorated robes. Prints by some of Japan’s most popular woodcut artists—Kikugawa Eizan, Keisai Eisen, and Utagawa Kunisada—show glamorized courtesans and entertainers frequently depicted as though in a parade. The exhibition also features a vibrant sash supplementing those shown in the prints.

Co-curated by Frances Klapthor, Associate Curator of Asian Art, and Katy Rothkopf, The Anne and Ben Cone Memorial Curator of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies.

This exhibition is supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

Speakers

Frances Klapthor, Interim Department Head, Arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands, and Associate Curator of Asian Art

Frances Klapthor (she/her) is the Interim Department Head of Arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific Islands (AAAPI) and Registrar at the Baltimore Museum of Art. She is responsible for the exhibition, research, growth, and refinement of some 3,200 objects that include Indian metalwork, Chinese ceramics, and Asian textiles and export artworks. In addition to exhibitions of private collections—many that draw from the BMA’s collection—Frances has also co-curated BMA exhibitions of Chinese and Japanese textiles as well as guest-curated at Towson University’s Asian Arts & Culture Center. She earned a BA in English from Washington College.

Katy Rothkopf, The Anne and Ben Cone Memorial Director of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies, Senior Curator of European Painting and Sculpture

In her 23 years at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Katy Rothkopf (she/her) led the reinstallation of the Cone Collection in 2001; organized the BMA’s presentation of Art of the Ballets Russes in 2003 and Monet’s London: Artists’ Reflections on the Thames in 2005; and curated Pissarro: Creating the Impressionist Landscape in 2007. She was also the co-curator of Matisse/Diebenkorn in 2016, the first large-scale show to examine the influence of Henri Matisse on the work of American artist Richard Diebenkorn, which traveled to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In 2021, Katy co-organized a show focused on the still-life paintings of Cubist painter Juan Gris as well as an exhibition examining the close friendship between Baltimore collector Etta Cone and artist Henri Matisse.

Admission 

The Baltimore Museum of Art offers free admission to all regular Museum exhibitions, including The Art of Pattern. Henri Matisse and Japanese Woodcut Artists. 

More information on hours of operation here.  

This virtual talk will be recorded and published on the Embassy of France’s YouTube channel here.