In a remarkable gesture, the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris has received more than sixty works by Henri Matisse donated to the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris that had been preserved within the artist’s family for decades. The donation comprises 61 pieces, including paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs, and a sculpture, many of which prominently feature Matisse’s daughter, Marguerite.
The generous gift was made by Barbara Dauphin Duthuit, the widow of Matisse’s grandson Claude, who passed away in 2011 in New York. The museum described the donation as both historic and exceptional. While several of the works had been displayed in the MAM’s recent Matisse et Marguerite exhibition, Duthuit’s decision to allow the museum to permanently keep the collection came as a complete surprise. In 2013, she had already donated one of Matisse’s most famous portraits of his daughter, Marguerite with a Black Cat, to the Pompidou Centre.
Marguerite, often described as Matisse’s favourite subject, was born during the artist’s relationship with his model Caroline Joblau while he was studying in Paris. Recognized by Matisse, she later joined his household when he married, growing up alongside her half-brothers Jean and Pierre.
Her early life was marked by challenges. At the age of six, Marguerite survived diphtheria through an emergency tracheotomy, leaving a visible scar she would hide for years with high-necked clothing and ribbons, as reflected in many portraits. Later in life, she underwent surgery to repair it. Despite ongoing health issues, Marguerite played an active role during World War II, joining the French resistance, enduring torture by the Gestapo, and narrowly avoiding deportation to a Nazi concentration camp.
Marguerite was also a talented painter, participating in group exhibitions during the war, though she eventually dedicated herself to assisting her father as his agent and steward until his death in November 1954 at the age of 84. She continued cataloguing his works until her own passing in Paris in 1982 at age 87.
Matisse’s preference for keeping his art within the family makes this donation especially meaningful. The 61 newly donated works will now complement the 20 Matisse pieces already held by the museum. Fabrice Hergott, the museum’s director, described the portraits of Marguerite as “extremely beautiful and moving” and highlighted the donation as a testament to Duthuit’s trust in the museum.
“This extraordinarily generous gesture ensures that Marguerite’s legacy, and her father’s artistic vision, will remain preserved here for decades and centuries to come,” Hergott said.