Bathers with a Turtle
- Date
- 1907–08
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Paris, Île-de-France region, France, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 71 1/2 × 87 in. (181.6 × 221 cm)
framed: 78 3/4 × 94 1/16 × 4 3/4 in. (200 × 238.9 × 12.1 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr.
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 24:1964
NOTES
In 1941, Henri Matisse simply described this painting as “three women by the sea, playing with a turtle.” The small turtle, or tortoise, at bottom left serves as the focal point of the picture. Each figure engages with the animal in different ways, whether offering a leaf, gnawing fingers in a pose suggestive of curiosity and anxiety, or sadly staring at its tiny form. Despite Matisse’s reference to play, the overall atmosphere seems one of melancholy or even alienation. The three bathers are outlined against three abstract bands of green, ultramarine, and teal, which reference shore, sea, and sky.
Provenance
1908 - 1921
Folkwang Museum, Hagen, Germany, purchased from the artist by Karl Ernst Osthaus for the Folkwang Museum, Hagen [1]
1922 - 1937
Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany [2]
1937/08/24 - 1939
German National Socialist (Nazi) government, confiscated as "degenerate" from the Folkwang Museum, Essen, August 24, 1937, and held at Schloss Niederschönhausen [3]
1939/06/30 - 1964
Joseph Pulitzer Jr. (1913-1993) and Louise Vauclain Pulitzer (d.1968), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased at the Galerie Fischer auction "Gemälde und Plastiken Moderner Kunst aus Deutschen Museen," held in the Grand Hôtel National, Lucerne, Switzerland, June 30, 1939, lot no. 93 [4]
1964 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Joseph Pulitzer Jr. and Louise Vauclain Pulitzer [5]
Notes:
[1] This painting was purchased by Karl Ernst Osthaus for the Folkwang Museum in Spring, 1908, according to letters between Pierre Matisse and Osthaus. These letters were formerly in the Folkwang Museum, Essen and are now in private hands [Stein, Laurie. "The History and Reception of Matisse's Bathers with Turtle in Germany, 1908-1939." "Henri Matisse Bathers with a Turtle." St. Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 1998].
[2] After Osthaus's death in 1921, the Folkwang Museum was moved from Hagen to its current location in Essen.
[3] This is documented in the exhibition catalog "Degenerate Art" [Baron, Stephanie, ed. "'Degenerate Art': The Fate of the Avant-garde in Nazi Germany." Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991].
[4] Pierre Matisse, the artist's son, was also a dealer who acted as an agent for the Pulitzers, purchasing the work for them at the Lucerne auction (see note [3]). An annotated copy of the catalogue includes "Pulitzer" after the entry for this painting [copy, SLAM document files]. Also, per information from Galerie Fischer, Lucerne [Stein, 1998].
[5] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 9, 1964.
Folkwang Museum, Hagen, Germany, purchased from the artist by Karl Ernst Osthaus for the Folkwang Museum, Hagen [1]
1922 - 1937
Folkwang Museum, Essen, Germany [2]
1937/08/24 - 1939
German National Socialist (Nazi) government, confiscated as "degenerate" from the Folkwang Museum, Essen, August 24, 1937, and held at Schloss Niederschönhausen [3]
1939/06/30 - 1964
Joseph Pulitzer Jr. (1913-1993) and Louise Vauclain Pulitzer (d.1968), St. Louis, MO, USA, purchased at the Galerie Fischer auction "Gemälde und Plastiken Moderner Kunst aus Deutschen Museen," held in the Grand Hôtel National, Lucerne, Switzerland, June 30, 1939, lot no. 93 [4]
1964 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Joseph Pulitzer Jr. and Louise Vauclain Pulitzer [5]
Notes:
[1] This painting was purchased by Karl Ernst Osthaus for the Folkwang Museum in Spring, 1908, according to letters between Pierre Matisse and Osthaus. These letters were formerly in the Folkwang Museum, Essen and are now in private hands [Stein, Laurie. "The History and Reception of Matisse's Bathers with Turtle in Germany, 1908-1939." "Henri Matisse Bathers with a Turtle." St. Louis: The Saint Louis Art Museum, 1998].
[2] After Osthaus's death in 1921, the Folkwang Museum was moved from Hagen to its current location in Essen.
[3] This is documented in the exhibition catalog "Degenerate Art" [Baron, Stephanie, ed. "'Degenerate Art': The Fate of the Avant-garde in Nazi Germany." Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1991].
[4] Pierre Matisse, the artist's son, was also a dealer who acted as an agent for the Pulitzers, purchasing the work for them at the Lucerne auction (see note [3]). An annotated copy of the catalogue includes "Pulitzer" after the entry for this painting [copy, SLAM document files]. Also, per information from Galerie Fischer, Lucerne [Stein, 1998].
[5] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 9, 1964.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.