Inside a Rare Matisse Exhibition with Eleanor Acquavella

About this episode

Leslie Heaney interviews Eleanor Acquavella about a rare Matisse exhibition and its significance in the art world.

When Acquavella Galleries first mounted a Matisse exhibition in 1973, the lines stretched down the block. Now, more than fifty years later, the gallery has done it again — and the wait was worth it. Leslie sits down with Eleanor Acquavella, Director at Acquavella Galleries, to go inside Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony — a once-in-a-generation exhibition on view free to the public at their East 79th Street townhouse through May 22nd. Over 50 works borrowed from private collections, many unseen publicly, brought together by a family that has spent six decades knowing exactly where the best Matisse works live. In this conversation, Leslie and Eleanor explore how Matisse used sculpture to unlock his painting, his rivalry with Picasso, the odalisque and what it reveals about his relationship to color and form, and why top-quality Matisse works almost never come up for sale. They also discuss why and how the world is having a "Matisse moment" right now — with major shows opening simultaneously in Paris, Chicago, San Francisco, and Baltimore — and why New York has not seen anything like this in years. Whether you're an art lover, a curious visitor to New York before May 22nd, or someone…

People in this episode

Host: Leslie Heaney

Guest: Eleanor Acquavella

Topics covered

• Matisse
• art exhibition
• private collections
• art history
• New York art scene
• cultural events

Keywords

• Matisse
• art exhibition
• Acquavella Galleries
• Picasso
• New York
• private collections
• cultural events
• art history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Acquavella Galleries

Books & works: Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony

Places: New York, Paris, Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore

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