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Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: 1905 to Today
Charting the legacy of Matisse's pivotal Fauvist painting across 120 years
Published with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Henri Matisse's Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat) was at the center of a rupture in the history of modern art. Its debut at the 1905 Salon d'Automne in Paris ignited passionate controversy, leading to its establishment as a key image of Fauvism, the first French avant-garde movement of the 20th century. The painting also marked a pivotal moment in Matisse's career, as it captured the attention of American collectors Leo and Gertrude Stein, who acquired the work on the last day of the exhibition. Woman with a Hat later made its way to the collection of their brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Sarah Stein, who brought it across the Atlantic to the Bay Area in 1935. Matisse's painting was shown in the United States for the first time early the next year, in an exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Art (now SFMoMA). Since entering the museum's collection in 1991, it has continued to influence contemporary artists, who derive inspiration from its bold approach to color and form.
This publication examines in unprecedented depth how this portrait of Matisse's wife, Amélie, made its mark on art history. Positioning Matisse in dialogue with his predecessors, contemporaries, collaborators and successors, this volume probes the painting's historical context and impact over more than 120 years.
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a pillar of the Parisian avant-garde. His innovations were the use of vibrant, arbitrary colors; bold brushstrokes; and a flattening of spatial depth. He often applied his thoroughly modern style to traditional subjects such as still lifes, landscapes and portraits that express a sense of timeless joy and stillness.
Published with San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Henri Matisse's Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat) was at the center of a rupture in the history of modern art. Its debut at the 1905 Salon d'Automne in Paris ignited passionate controversy, leading to its establishment as a key image of Fauvism, the first French avant-garde movement of the 20th century. The painting also marked a pivotal moment in Matisse's career, as it captured the attention of American collectors Leo and Gertrude Stein, who acquired the work on the last day of the exhibition. Woman with a Hat later made its way to the collection of their brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Sarah Stein, who brought it across the Atlantic to the Bay Area in 1935. Matisse's painting was shown in the United States for the first time early the next year, in an exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Art (now SFMoMA). Since entering the museum's collection in 1991, it has continued to influence contemporary artists, who derive inspiration from its bold approach to color and form.
This publication examines in unprecedented depth how this portrait of Matisse's wife, Amélie, made its mark on art history. Positioning Matisse in dialogue with his predecessors, contemporaries, collaborators and successors, this volume probes the painting's historical context and impact over more than 120 years.
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a pillar of the Parisian avant-garde. His innovations were the use of vibrant, arbitrary colors; bold brushstrokes; and a flattening of spatial depth. He often applied his thoroughly modern style to traditional subjects such as still lifes, landscapes and portraits that express a sense of timeless joy and stillness.
144 pages, Hardcover
Published May 26, 2026
About the author
Henri Matisse
395 books58 followersHenri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid, brilliant and original draughtsmanship.
As a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but principally as a painter, Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Although he was initially labeled as a Fauve (wild beast), by the 1920s, he was increasingly hailed as an upholder of the classical tradition in French painting.
His mastery of the expressive language of colour and drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art.
As a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but principally as a painter, Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Although he was initially labeled as a Fauve (wild beast), by the 1920s, he was increasingly hailed as an upholder of the classical tradition in French painting.
His mastery of the expressive language of colour and drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 9, 2026
This is the exhibit catalog for an art exhibit that was at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art this past summer. I desperately wanted to see it but never got down there. This book is the next best thing. I would have wanted to read it anyway. It’s a beautifully done book.
Many artists’ paintings are included, not only Matisse’s.
One of my favorite paintings, Matisse’s Open Window, is in the book so I assume it was in the exhibt.
https://www.nga.gov/artworks/106384-o...
I would have loved to have seen it in person.
I looked at all the plates/art many times. I skimmed some of the essays even though they all looked interesting. I just didn’t want to take the time right now to carefully read them all.
I was fascinated to read about how in 1936 (a year after the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opened) they had a major Matisse exhibit and the “Woman with Hat” painting was on the cover of its brochure. In 1936 my mother was a young woman in San Francisco who was interested in art and I wonder if she saw the exhibit.
Contents:
Foreword by Christoper Redford
Acknowledgment’s by Janet Bishop and Maria Castro
A Woman and a Hat by Claudine Grammont
Sensual Portraits: Henri Matisse and Gertrude Stein by Popy Venzal
Femme au chapeau: Then and Now
Femme au chapeau: An Illustrated History by Allison Guh
Credits
I would love to own this book. I plan to borrow it again at some point and read the parts that I skimmed this time and to look at the art again. I probably have the book for another week or so and I’ll probably look at all the art in it again at least one more time.
Sadly, there is no index. There should be one!
4-1/2 stars
Many artists’ paintings are included, not only Matisse’s.
One of my favorite paintings, Matisse’s Open Window, is in the book so I assume it was in the exhibt.
https://www.nga.gov/artworks/106384-o...
I would have loved to have seen it in person.
I looked at all the plates/art many times. I skimmed some of the essays even though they all looked interesting. I just didn’t want to take the time right now to carefully read them all.
I was fascinated to read about how in 1936 (a year after the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opened) they had a major Matisse exhibit and the “Woman with Hat” painting was on the cover of its brochure. In 1936 my mother was a young woman in San Francisco who was interested in art and I wonder if she saw the exhibit.
Contents:
Foreword by Christoper Redford
Acknowledgment’s by Janet Bishop and Maria Castro
A Woman and a Hat by Claudine Grammont
Sensual Portraits: Henri Matisse and Gertrude Stein by Popy Venzal
Femme au chapeau: Then and Now
Femme au chapeau: An Illustrated History by Allison Guh
Credits
I would love to own this book. I plan to borrow it again at some point and read the parts that I skimmed this time and to look at the art again. I probably have the book for another week or so and I’ll probably look at all the art in it again at least one more time.
Sadly, there is no index. There should be one!
4-1/2 stars
August 2, 2026
Very informative and enjoyable.
August 21, 2026
An amazing exhibit at SFMOMA and I was able to relive it and learn even more about the art world at the time of Femme au chapeau. Well worth the cost of the book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews