Previous image 1 2 / 2 Next image

Edward Steichen

Portrait of Matisse with "La Serpentine"

Maker

Edward Steichen (American, 1879-1973)

Title

Portrait of Matisse with "La Serpentine"

Year

1909

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

34.9 x 27.3 cm (13 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches) (sheet)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Signed in pencil on the image, LR:Steichen

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of the Bayard and Harriet K. Ewing Collection

Object Number

71.003

Type

Exhibition History

Facing Artists
Twentieth Century Portraits from the Collection
Feb 27, 2009 – Jul 31, 2009

Label copy

Edward Steichen took this portrait of Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954) early in his career when, living in Paris, he met many avant-garde artists. Steichen was

in fact instrumental in bringing Matisse’s work to the attention of American audiences; he arranged to have his work shown in New York in solo exhibitions at the

gallery 291 in 1908, 1910, and 1912. The atmospheric effect seen here is typical of Steichen’s early work, which conveys qualities beyond physical likeness-in

this case a moment of creative inspiration-to advance new notions about the aims and potential of art photography.

Capturing the Light
150 Years of Photography
Sep 22, 1989 – Nov 12, 1989

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Edward Steichen (American, 1879-1973)
Portrait of Matisse with "La Serpentine", 1909
Carbon print
34.9 x 27.3 cm (13 3/4 x 10 3/4 inches) (sheet)
Gift of the Bayard and Harriet K. Ewing Collection 71.003

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.