The Odalisque That Set Matisse's Auction Record
3 min read · 12 Feb 2025
Odalisque Couchée Aux Magnolias. Image courtesy of Christie's
Henri Matisse's Odalisque Couchée Aux Magnolias (1923) sold for $80.75m at Christie's in New York on May 8, 2018. The oil on canvas work had been traded 3 times in the past. It was consigned by the estate of Peggy and David Rockefeller, who acquired the painting in 1958. The winning bid at the Rockefeller sale most likely came from Asia.
In the 1920s, Matisse spent increasingly lengthy stays in Nice, where he painted several odalisques, which he described as "a lovely vivid dream", recalling "enchanted days and nights" in Morocco. Odalisque Couchée Aux Magnolias (1923) features his favorite model, Henriette Darricarrère, who worked with the artist from 1920 to 1927, posing for many of the artist's paintings, sculptures and works on paper.
Odalisque Couchée Aux Magnolias was among the works included in Matisse's 1931 retrospective in Paris, which greatly impressed Picasso, who was working on his own retrospective in the same gallery the following year.
Matisse may have inspired Picasso to paint his erotically charged Nude, Green Leaves and Bust (1932), which features his young mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, as a reclining odalisque.
Matisse's painting was among the works on show in the French Pavilion of the World's Fair in New York in 1939. Along with other works at the fair, it was stranded in North America during World War 2. Matisse's masterwork went on an extended tour of US museums and a trip to Mexico City.
Back IV. Image courtesy of Christie's
The sale beat Matisse's previous auction record by $31.95m, a 65% rise. The previous record was set by the sculpture Back IV (1930), which sold for $48.8m at Christie's on November 3, 2010. The bronze, conceived around 1930 and cast in 1978, had been traded three times before.
A Brief History of Matisse at Auction
Sale Date | Title | Price | Record Increase | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-05-08 | Odalisque Couchée Aux Magnolias | $80.75m | 65 % | Christie's | New York |
2010-11-03 | Back IV | $48.8m | 7 % | Christie's | New York |
2009-02-23 | Les coucous, tapis bleu et rose | $45.76m | 36 % | Christie's | Paris |
2007-11-06 | L'Odalisque harmonie bleue | $33.64m | 73 % | Christie's | New York |
2007-06-19 | Danseuse Dans Le Fauteuil Sol En Damier | $19.49m | 18 % | Sotheby's | London |
2006-05-03 | Nu couche vu de dos | $16.5m | 6 % | Sotheby's | New York |
2000-11-09 | La robe persane | $15.5m | 4 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1995-05-08 | La pose Hindoue | $14.85m | 2 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1992-11-11 | Harmonie jaune | $14.52m | 29 % | Christie's | New York |
1989-10-18 | Femme a l'ombrelle rouge assise de profil | $11.25m | 116 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1988-05-10 | Nature morte aux citrons sur fond fleurdelise | $5.2m | 129 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1987-12-01 | Nature morte serviette a carreaux | $2.27m | 41 % | Sotheby's | London |
1987-11-20 | La Conversation | $1.61m | 2 % | Libert & Castor | Paris |
1979-07-03 | Le Jeune Marin 1 | $1.59m | 177 % | Christie's | London |
1978-06-26 | Still Life with Sleeping Woman | $573,100 | 30 % | Sotheby's | London |
1977-10-19 | Le luth | $440,000 | 22 % | Sotheby's | New York |
1973-07-04 | Femme a la fenetre Nice | $361,000 | 43 % | Sotheby's | London |
1970-10-14 | Interieur a la Fillette (La Lecture) | $252,000 | 86 % | Sotheby's | London |
1970-04-15 | Les Concombres | $135,600 | 27 % | Sotheby's | London |
1962-04-10 | Interieur au parquet grave, femme assise dans un fauteuil jaune | $106,400 | 90 % | Sotheby's | London |
1960-05-20 | La lecon de peinture | $56,000 | - | Christie's | London |
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