BMA Presents Trio of Matisse Exhibitions in March 2026

March 11–September 6, 2026
Fratino and Matisse: To See This Light Again is a dynamic, intergenerational dialogue that brings together approximately 30 paintings and works on paper by Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954) and Louis Fratino (b. 1993), a celebrated painter reshaping the language of figuration today. Fratino was born in Annapolis, Maryland, and was educated at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, where he became familiar with the strengths and depths of the BMA’s Matisse collection. He was influenced by the French artist and others to focus his work on domestic spaces and intimate portraits. Through luminous figure studies, interiors, still-lifes, and self-portraits, the exhibition juxtaposes his depictions of the male figure with Matisse’s portrayals of female models while highlighting the individuality of each artist’s point of view. Examples include Matisse’s The Blue Eyes (1935), which shows the artist’s seemingly spontaneous approach to rendering the model, who rests her head on crossed arms while looking distantly out at the viewer. A similar sense of intimacy, touch, and languor is seen in Fratino’s Ochre Alessandro (2023), which features his male subject in repose. The sense of closeness seen in Matisse’s example—where the female model does not quite make eye contact with the viewer—is shared by Fratino’s sleeping figure. The exhibition features several new paintings by Fratino produced especially for this presentation.

The exhibition is co-curated by Virginia Anderson, Senior Curator of American Art and Department Head, American Painting & Sculpture and Decorative Arts, and Katy Rothkopf, the Anne and Ben Cone Memorial Director of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies and Senior Curator of European Painting and Sculpture. The exhibition is supported by The Pierre & Tana Matisse Foundation and Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff.

March 18–October 25, 2026
This focus exhibition of 20 works is primarily drawn from 28 lithographs Matisse created for the book Poésies Antillaises (Antillean Poetry) (1946 to 1953) by John-Antoine Nau (born Eugène Léon Édouard Torquet, 1860–1918). It was published posthumously in 1972 and remains one of the artist’s least-known illustrated books. The images were inspired by the artist’s visit to Martinique in 1930 and comprise a visual representation of Nau’s poems, which address female companions who inspire reveries of travel, music, and oceanic landscapes. Studio records detailing the identities of the models for several Poésies illustrations reveal Matisse’s extensive working relationships with notable Caribbean and other international models. Matisse and Martinique presents these portrayals alongside works by two of the period’s leading artists from Martinique and Guadeloupe, illuminating some of the transatlantic artistic circles that contributed to the development of early modern art.

This exhibition is guest curated by Dr. Denise Murrell, Merryl H. and James S. Tisch Curator at Large, Office of the Director, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Inaugural Fellow of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies at the BMA (2022–2025). The exhibition is supported by Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff.

March 29–June 28, 2026
Co-organized by the Musée Matisse in Nice and the BMA, this exhibition is the first thorough consideration of the powerful mural Henri Matisse created for The Chapelle du Rosaire (Chapel of the Rosary) (1947-1951), the artist’s only large-scale architectural project and a highlight of his late career. Matisse moved from Nice to nearby Vence, France in 1943 to escape the threat of bombardment during World War II. He then renewed ties with a former model who had been his nurse and was in the process of becoming a Dominican nun under the name of Sister Jacques-Marie. Their reconnection led to a four-year commission to design the interior and exterior of a chapel in the town. Matisse designed every detail of the building—from its remarkable stained-glass windows to the priest’s vestments and three large-scale black-and-white ceramic murals. The final mural depicts the 14 stations of the cross, which represents Christ’s journey to Calvary. It is unique among Matisse’s works for its “rough” style, narrative storytelling, and Christian iconography. Matisse created an extraordinary number of drawings for The Stations of the Cross and yet, until now, it remains his least studied work. Matisse in Vence: The Stations of the Cross features approximately 85 sketches and preparatory drawings will include many drawings from private collections that have never been shown. This exhibition is also accompanied by a comprehensive catalog published in both English and French.

Matisse in Vence: The Stations of the Cross is guest curated by the distinguished scholar Yve-Alain Bois, Professor Emeritus, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, with assistance from Alix Agret, art historian and researcher. The BMA presentation is supported by Katy Rothkopf, the Anne and Ben Cone Memorial Director of the Ruth R. Marder Center for Matisse Studies and Senior Curator of European Painting and Sculpture. The exhibition is co-organized by the Musée Matisse Nice and the Baltimore Museum of Art. The exhibition is on view at Musée Matisse Nice from October 1, 2025, through January 19, 2026 (as Henri Matisse. The Stations of the Cross—Drawing the Passion). The Baltimore presentation is supported by Nancy Dorman and Stanley Mazaroff, The Pierre & Tana Matisse Foundation, and the Estate of Carolyn Lee Smith.