LACMA field trip , La Gerbe By Henri Matisse
October 1st , 2018 , Visiting LACMA with group of the classmates and our dear Professor, Mr. Duane McLemore. There are a lot of artworks around me but this artwork`s size and colors grabbed my attention so I thought I have to read about it. La Gerbe by Henri Matisse ,the artist's final commission, in 1953. The artwork has been permanently on view at LACMA since 2010.
September 23, 2010,final installation of Henri Matisse’s large-scale ceramic La Gerbe (The Sheaf) (1953), commissioned by Los Angeles patrons Sidney and Frances Brody from the artist in the early 1950s. The Brodys’ extraordinary collection of modern art, including works by Picasso, Braque, Giacometti, Calder, and Moore , Intended to occupy a prime position in their new home, the Matisse ceramic became, as Frances Brody would describe it, “The heart of our home.”
In 1941 Matisse was diagnosed with cancer and, following surgery, he started using a wheelchair. Before undergoing a risky operation in Lyon, he wrote an anxious letter to his son, Pierre, insisting, "I love my family, truly, dearly and profoundly." He left another letter, to be delivered in the event of his death, making peace with Amélie.