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The magic of Matisse
TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART
"Marie-José in a Yellow Dress (III)," 1950 <br> Color lift-ground aquatint (black with four colors) <br> Image: 21 1/8 x 16 7/16 in. Sheet: 29 15/16 x 22 1/4 in. <br> Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation
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Published: February 1, 2010
TAMPA - The new Tampa Museum of Art opens in grand style Saturday with an exhibition of works by one of the grand masters of 20th century art, Henri Matisse.
"A Celebration of Henri Matisse: Master of Line and Light" is a comprehensive collection of nearly 200 works by this pioneer of modernism. The works in the traveling exhibit were selected from the Cone Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Unlike most Matisse exhibits, which focus on his paintings, this one explores his prints — etchings, monotypes, lithographs, linocuts, aquatints, drypoints, woodcuts and color prints — plus a few paintings and sculptures relating to them.
"This is a rare show indeed for what it suggests about the interconnectedness among Matisse's work in printmaking, painting and sculpture," said Todd Smith, the museum's executive director.
Although known for his paintings, Matisse (1869-1954) thoroughly explored many different media, including printing and drawing, throughout his career, Smith observed. "They were integral to his entire process, and he created over 800 prints in his lifetime."
The works in the exhibit collectively provide a time-sensitive journey through 50 years of the master's work, from his earliest lithographs in the early 1900s to the last print in 1951, an aquatint.
"All of those great aquatints that he did at the beginning of the 1950s — there's a really strong display of those," Smith said. "They really give a sense of how the power of modernism lingered well into the 1950s."
Taking up three of the seven interior galleries in the museum, the exhibit not only explores the importance of line for Matisse but also shows how much he worked in series.
"He would take on a model or subject matter and expand it across printmaking or sculpture," Smith said. "There is some color in the show, but it's a lot more of the use of the heavy black line. You get to appreciate the line more, whether it's the physical act of drawing or the line that gets translated into a print."
That should make for an educational show, said Jeanne Cameron, a local artist and an instructor in art at Hillsborough Community College.
"I think the stroke Matisse used is evident in all his work, and to see it simplified in his drawings gives us a glimpse into his mind," she said. "It's very inspirational, because it's that mark on the page that's expressive."
Erika Greenberg, master printer and owner of the Bleu Acier gallery in Tampa, agreed.
"Matisse was a fabulous printmaker, and he really shows through his work how important different media are in the thought processes of an artist," she said.
The decision to have Matisse for the signature opening exhibit came about for several reasons. He has the stature to draw people to the new museum; his work provides the theme for the other opening exhibits, which, like Matisse, are both abstract and representational; and his work hints at the future direction of the museum.
"Matisse provides a great starting point for understanding 20th century art," said Smith, who plans to bring in more contemporary and modern art. "If you look across the board of what we're showing, you'll see we've honed our strengths, and we're showing our strengths and pushing forward. Our past has been very much about celebrating 20th century art, so we'll continue to do that and highlight our collection of ancient Greek and Roman art."
The Matisse exhibit is an ambitious start for the museum, and it puts the museum and Tampa on the map, artistically speaking, Greenberg said.
"It will be a definite tourist attraction," she said. "Tampa will have a first-rate, cutting-edge museum with modern and contemporary art. It's a great draw."
Other opening exhibits
The interior of the museum is a vision of tall white-washed walls, ceilings that seem to reach to the sky and large interconnected galleries that open into one another.
That arrangement allowed for an unusual project: to present opening exhibits that relate to each other or to the Matisse exhibit on some level.
• In the Ferman Gallery, the museum finally has a chance to exhibit for the first time its entire collection of photographs by Garry Winogrand. Called "Life Captured: Garry Winogrand's Women are Beautiful," the 85 photographs, themed around candid shots of women in everyday life, echo the serial theme of the Matisse exhibit.
"The show with Matisse is all about him working with one model across various printmaking techniques," said Smith. "So this idea of artists working across series becomes important. And it's two artists looking at the female form. Matisse precedes Winogrand, so there is also a progression and continuity."
• In the Farish Gallery, the exhibit "Taking Shape: Works from the Bank of America Collection" presents mid-century artists who were influenced by Matisse to push the boundaries of the painted canvas into new forms.
"These are large-scale works, and the new museum provides the space to show them for the first time," Smith said.
• "The Hidden City," in the Bretta B. Sullivan Gallery, is a special exhibit featuring international artists and multimedia installations that explore life in an urban environment in the 21st century.
"It is an exhibit of large-scale sculptural and photograph installations that look at what often gets left behind when you talk about an urban environment," Smith said.
"The Hidden City" is the first in a series of four exhibitions from the Martin Z. Margulies Foundation.
• Selections from the museum's extensive antiquities collection are highlighted in the Lemonopoulos Gallery in an exhibit called "From Life to Death in the Ancient World."
"It plays off of a connection of daily ritual in the ancient world, and representing contemporary life in the modern world," Smith said.
The thematic nature of these opening exhibits is something that may be repeated in future shows, Smith said.
"We're not going to do it every time," he said. "This is an important moment for us. But we will always look for occasions for thematic opportunities. It provides context."
IF YOU GO
The Tampa Museum of Art opens at 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza on Saturday.
Opening day details:
10:30 a.m.: Opening ceremony hosted by News Channel 8 anchor Gayle Sierens in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park with remarks by Mayor Pam Iorio, museum executive director Todd Smith, architect Stanley Saitowitz, museum board members Ray Ifert and Cornelia Corbett and others.
11 a.m.: Doors open to the public.
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Music and art activities (including collage, print and jewelry making) in Curtis Hixon park.
6:30 p.m.: Sunset Cinema, Tampa Theatre's traveling outdoor "picture show," screens the 2006 Ben Stiller movie "Night at the Museum" in Curtis Hixon park.
Correspondent Esther Hammer can be reached at ehammer@tampatrib.com.
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