Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse—the second-most exhibited artist at the Museum after Pablo Picasso—was the subject of MoMA’s first monographic exhibition. This 1931 show, the most comprehensive presentation of the artist’s work to be held in the United States to date, included a sweeping assortment of paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints spanning from the artist’s student years to his most recent work. The catalogue included a 1908 essay by Matisse in which the artist explained his process of constant artistic growth, a passage that still rang true in 1931: “I do not repudiate any of my paintings but I would not paint one of them in the same way had I to do it again. My destination is always the same but I work out a different route to get there.”