Matisse Drawings: Curated by Ellsworth Kelly from The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation Collection showcases the master draftsmanship of two of the most significant artists of the twentieth century: Henri Matisse (1869–1954) and Ellsworth Kelly (1923–2015). Curated by Kelly in 2014, the exhibition speaks to his admiration for Matisse, as well as to the centrality of drawing in both artists’ practices. To accompany the forty-five rarely exhibited works by Matisse made in the first half of the 20th century, which reveal his process and range of creativity as a draftsman, Kelly selected nine of his own lithographic drawings that derive from his time in France during the 1960s, when the American artist studied Matisse’s sketches and studies of nature and human figures. Together, the works by Matisse and Kelly form a thought-provoking, visually striking artistic dialogue, allowing viewers to experience one artist through the eyes of another and to immerse themselves in the pleasures of close looking.
                                                                                                                                                                        
Matisse Drawings: Curated by Ellsworth Kelly from The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation Collection is organized by the American Federation of Arts and the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum in collaboration with The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation.

This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust and The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation. Additional support provided by the JFM Foundation and Mrs. Donald M. Cox.