The Sea and the Overseas: Matisse, Africa, Polynesia

The sea has long been associated with the dream of voyages to distant lands. Alastair Wright, associate professor in history of art at the University of Oxford, will discuss what Matisse’s depictions of water tell us about his encounters with the cultures of Africa and Polynesia, encounters that took place within the framework of French colonialism. Wright will look at a range of Matisse’s work, from his early Fauve years to the cut-outs created towards the end of his life, to reveal how myths of the exotic motivated his response to the art and geography of the overseas.

This lecture is presented in partnership with the Department of Art History and Archaeology, Washington University in St. Louis.