The father of Fauvism will be celebrated in grand style on July 8 as “Matisse in the Studio” ends its three-month run at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
The collection includes works of various mediums from Henri Matisse, the early twentieth century French artist known for his dazzlingly colorful, post-Impressionistic paintings. The MFA will extend its usual operating hours to 10 p.m. to allow guests to soak in the works one last time that evening.
And for those interested in consumable art, Night Shift Brewing will serve its limited edition beer at the museum’s New American Café. Appropriately named “Matisse,” this farmhouse ale saison embodies the artist’s whimsical style with a lavender flavor profile. Those of age can sip their beverages before or after ambling through the Gund Gallery and appreciating Matisse’s ageless artistic contributions.
“Matisse in the Studio” showcases over 120 different works ranging from several chefs-d’œuvre to dozens of smaller pieces in his studio collection sourced from French private collections. Bronze sculptures and an illustrated book mark departures from the artist’s usual craft.
Many of these creations, particularly his paper sketches, have never seen by the public before the collection opened in April. Museumgoers also get a glimpse into the ways in which Matisse understood the international world, as his interests in African and Chinese objects inspired many of his different pieces on display.
“I think what is so exciting about ‘Matisse in the Studio’ is that we see an artist many of us feel we already know in a totally new light,” says Wheaton College art history professor Ellen McBreen in a MFA video on the exhibit. “It allows you to step inside Matisse’s space and see what he was looking at and inspired by.”
If you go:
July 8, 5 p.m to 10 p.m., Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave., $25 for museum admission, 21+ for beer purchase, mfa.org
