our works travel: Matisse in the “Re-Orientations” exhibition at the Kunsthaus Zurich

Through a collection of some 170 works, the exhibition Re-Orientations, Europe and the Arts of Islam, from 1851 to today, presented until 16 July 2023 at the Kunsthaus Zurich, shows the importance of the cultures of Islam for Western visual and applied arts, from Wassily Kandinsky to Gülsün Karamustafa.

For the space dedicated to Matisse, the Matisse Museum had the pleasure of lending a set of “oriental” items that belonged to the artist: a Moroccan armchair and pedestal table, an Ottoman brazier and an openwork textile hanging called a “mashrabiya “. Found by Matisse in antique shops or in Morocco where he travelled, we understand how these objects fit into the artist’s mental framework, and their circulation in his studios and from work to work. The research carried out by the curator of the exhibition, Sandra Gianfreda, and her team of specialists has helped us deepen our knowledge of these objects.