Matisse Across the Atlantic: From Paris to American Modernism

Join us for a special lecture at the French Library with Professor Claude Cernuschi, a leading scholar of 19th- and 20th-century art, as he explores the enduring legacy of Henri Matisse across the Atlantic.

In this exclusive evening of art and ideas, Professor Cernuschi will revisit Matisse not only as a pioneer of Fauvism, but as a central figure whose legacy profoundly shaped the course of modern and contemporary art. The lecture will trace Matisse’s influence on major American artists, including Mark Rothko and Ellsworth Kelly, revealing unexpected continuities in their approaches to color, abstraction, and emotion.

Drawing connections with the MFA Boston’s newly reinstalled modern art galleries—where dialogues between artists such as Rothko and Giacometti offer new perspectives on postwar art—Professor Cernuschi will illuminate how Matisse’s artistic language continued to resonate far beyond France.

The talk will also be placed in a broader transatlantic context, in dialogue with major exhibitions opening this spring in Paris, including Matisse 1941 – 1954 at the Grand Palais and Matisse et Marguerite at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, offering a timely and multifaceted perspective on one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

The evening will conclude with a wine reception and light bites.

The event will be held in English.