Henri Matisse - 20th Century Art Titan
22nd May 2026-
Henri Matisse's 'Grande Odalisque à la Culotte Bayadère', Lot 82, in the Modern British & 20th century Art sale on 2nd June 2026.
The undoubted highlight of the European pictures appearing in the Modern British & 20th century Art auction on 2nd June 2026 is Henri Matisse's Grande Odalisque à la Culotte Bayadère, one of the most significant prints of the 20th century.
Henri Matisse (French 1869-1954), one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century, was involved with printmaking for more than fifty years. From 1900 until his death in 1954, he produced more than eight hundred intaglios, lithographs, woodcuts, linocuts, and monotypes. He approached printmaking in an unconventional way, treating it as a personal and expressive extension of drawing and a way to relax after long and demanding periods of painting. Henri Matisse’s Grande Odalisque à la Culotte Bayadère is his most important and sought after lithograph. He focused on lithography in three distinct phases in his career, 1906, 1914, and lastly in the 1920s and this extraordinary print, dating from 1925, is the culmination of his work in the medium.
The subject is Matisse’s favourite model, Henriette Darricarrère, in the guise of an odalisque, sitting with one leg raised and tucked under the other. It was a pose that fascinated Matisse during this period, appearing in many of his paintings and prints. The image is full of striking contrasts of textures and surfaces, such as the bold stripes of Henriette’s trousers, the heavy floral-patterned cloth of the armchair, and the smoothness of the model’s skin. Across the whole work Matisse explores the play of light, with the rich tonal effects enhanced by the lithographic medium, not unlike that of a charcoal drawing, and which contributes to the sensuality of the pose. Grande Odalisque à la Culotte Bayadère represents the zenith of his work in lithography; the epitome of the exoticism and voluptuousness that is expressed through his numerous depictions of Odalisques; and a testament to the inspiration he drew from the longstanding collaboration with his foremost model.
This impression was originally purchased from Matisse by the American artist Leon Kroll (1884-1974), who was studying in Paris at the time. In his memoirs Kroll recalls spending an afternoon with Matisse whilst he was working on the stone (working surface) of the Odalisque print.
Matisse complained that; "I can't get a firm line on this stone. It's terrible".
Kroll advised Matisse to grind the stone to a smoother surface, saying, "Your stone is too rough" and clearly the advice was effective.
The lithograph (Lot 82) sold for £151,400 (incl. auction fees).
