Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau) by Henri Matisse

Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau) - Henri Matisse - Oil Painting Wall Decor

Product Overview

For collectors searching portrait oil painting, Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau) is a dependable choice. Painted in layered oils on canvas after Henri Matisse, this fauvist work reads equally well as classic canvas wall art and as a thoughtful housewarming gift.

About the Artwork

1905
Oil on canvas
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California, United States.

First exhibited at the 1905 Salon d'Automne in Paris, Women with a Hat (Femme au chapeau) was at the center of the controversy that led to the christening of the first modern art movement of the twentieth century - Fauvism. The term fauve ("wild beast"), coined by an art critic, became forever associated with the artists who exhibited their brightly colored canvases in the central gallery (dubbed the cage centrale) of the Grand Palais.

Femme au chapeau marked a stylistic change from the regulated brushstrokes of Matisse's earlier work to a more expressive individual style. His use of non-naturalistic colors and loose brushwork, which contributed to a sketchy or "unfinished" quality, seemed shocking to the viewers of the day.

The artist's wife, Amélie, posed for this half-length portrait. She is depicted in an elaborate outfit with classic attributes of the French bourgeoisie: a gloved arm holding a fan and an elaborate hat perched atop her head. Her costume's vibrant hues are purely expressive, however; when asked about the hue of the dress Madame Matisse was actually wearing when she posed for the portrait, the artist allegedly replied, "Black, of course."

The expatriate Stein family (Michael, Sarah, Leo, and Gertrude) bought the painting soon after its initial showing. Although Leo characterized the work as "the nastiest smear of paint I had ever seen," the Steins recognized its importance and began a long-lasting patronage of the French artist. Sarah and Michael Stein subsequently brought the painting to San Francisco where it was bought in the 1950s by the Haas family. In 1990 Elise S. Haas bequeathed to the Museum thirty-seven paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by modernist masters, among them Femme au chapeau.

As living room wall decor, the piece pairs naturally with other fauvist wall art and with warm neutrals, timber, and soft natural light.

How It Is Made

Each canvas is painted entirely by hand with professional oil paints on artist-grade cotton canvas. No printing, giclée, or digital imaging is used at any stage, so the surface keeps the slight relief and color variation of real brushwork.

Product Details

• Painted entirely by hand in oils on artist-grade canvas, with no giclée or inkjet process involved.
• Comes with a 2-inch unpainted margin on every side, ready for stretcher bars or a frame.
• Studio-direct pricing and worldwide shipping on every portrait oil painting order.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Custom sizes available: order this painting in your preferred dimensions.
• Choose from DHL, UPS, FedEx, USPS and other competitively priced carriers.
• No-cost gallery stretching on wood bars, plus optional made-to-order framing.
• Every order includes a pre-shipment digital preview for your approval.

Wall Decor & Gifting

This figurative oil painting wall decor is equally at home in a residence, a boutique hotel, or a professional office. Its fauvist character makes it a safe, distinctive gift for anyone furnishing a living room.

Shipping & Guarantee

Order Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau) as a hand painted oil painting on canvas and add lasting fauvist character to your living room. Custom sizes, a digital proof before dispatch, and secure worldwide shipping are included.