Artwork
Le Luxe II
Le Luxe II is a distemper painting by the Fauvist artist Henri Matisse. It dates from 1908 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Le Luxe II depicts three nude women in a composition that mirrors the arrangement of the earlier Le Luxe I.
Le Luxe II depicts three nude women in a composition that mirrors the arrangement of the earlier Le Luxe I. The work focuses on the genre of the nude, presenting the female figures within an idyllic, simplified setting that emphasizes the luxurious ease suggested by the title. The painting's thematic focus on the nude was provocative to early twentieth-century audiences; during its exhibition at the Armory Show in 1913, the artwork was burned in effigy by students in Chicago, underscoring the controversial reception of its subject matter at the time.
Technique & Style
Le Luxe II is executed in distemper on canvas, a medium choice distinct from the oil typically associated with Matisse's major works of this period. Created between 1907 and 1908, the painting measures 209.5 cm in height and 139 cm in width. The work depicts three nude women arranged in a composition that closely mirrors the artist's earlier Le Luxe I. Stylistically, the piece is categorized within the nude genre and reflects the formal concerns of Matisse's early 20th-century output. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen.
History & Provenance
Henri Matisse executed Le Luxe II, a distemper on canvas, between 1907 and 1908. The work depicts three nude figures in a composition similar to his earlier Le Luxe I. Matisse retained the painting for several years, featuring it in the background of two works depicting his Issy-les-Moulineaux studio, The Pink Studio and The Red Studio, both created in 1911.
In 1913, the painting was exhibited at the Armory Show in the United States. During this exhibition, art students in Chicago burned an effigy of the work in protest. Le Luxe II eventually entered the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains housed.
Le Luxe II is held by the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, where it remains part of the permanent collection. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the work's location is confirmed at this Danish institution. The painting has a distinct exhibition history, most notably its inclusion in the 1913 Armory Show in Chicago.
During this exhibition, the work was famously burned in effigy by students in Chicago, an event that marked a significant moment in its public reception. It was also featured in a later commemorative exhibition titled The Armory Show at 100.
Context
Le Luxe II occupies a notable place in the early reception of European modernism in the United States. According to the French-language source, the painting was shown at the 1913 Armory Show, where it provoked a hostile response and was burned in effigy by students in Chicago, an episode that underscored the shock value of Matisse's Fauvist idiom for American audiences. The work also documents Matisse's own working environment in the years that followed: it appears hanging in his studio as recorded in two 1911 canvases, L'Atelier rose and L'Atelier rouge, which depict his new studio at Issy-les-Moulineaux decorated with earlier paintings still in his possession.
In addition, the painting is recorded as appearing in a work by the critic and painter Roger Fry, linking the canvas to the Bloomsbury circle's engagement with Post-Impressionism and to the wider transatlantic dissemination of Matisse's nude compositions.
Overview
Le Luxe II, created by Henri Matisse in 1908, is a distemper painting featuring three nude women set against a vibrant, flat-colored backdrop.
Artist & collection
Artist
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (French:; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship.
