Lorette (Alternate Title)
Tête de Jeune Fille (Primary Title)
Laurette (Alternate Title)
Henri Matisse, French, 1869 - 1954 (Artist)
Henri Matisse first rose to prominence in 1905 as the leader of the lively Fauvist painters. They dramatically broke with the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements that preceded them by using bold strokes of color as an expressive element in their landscapes and portraits.
In 1917 and 1918, Matisse produced a series of nearly fifty paintings of an Italian artist’s model about whom very little is known. Her name has been recorded at different times as “Lorette” and “Laurette.” This body of work marks Matisse’s shift from a relatively severe and abstract manner to a more naturalistic mode that would dominate his work in the 1920s. Recognizing the stylistic significance of this group of portraits, T. Catesby Jones purchased two examples. Seen side by side, the portraits (this one and 47.10.72) reveal the different ways in which Matisse emphasized asymmetries in the model’s features to express her individuality.
20th Century Gallery, Williamsburg, September 12 - October 10, 1960
Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Lynchburg, Virginia, September 21 - October 26, 1959
"Current Painting Styles and their Sources," Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa, June 1- July 20, 1958
Virginia Union University, Richmond, April 12 - 19, 1956
Lynchburg Fine Art Center, February 27 – March 12, 1956
Some object records are not complete and do not reflect VMFA's full and current knowledge. VMFA makes routine updates as records are reviewed and enhanced.
