Provenance
The artist to Curt Glaser (1879-1943), Berlin, Switzerland, Italy, and New York, 1914 [E.V. Thaw and Company stock card]; by descent to his wife, Maria Glaser (née Maria Milch, 1901-1981; later Mrs. Maria Ash), New York [E.V. Thaw and Company stock card]; sold to Thomas Grange, London and E. V. Thaw and Company, New York, Dec. 11, 1963; sold to the Art Institute, 1964.
Accession Number
20347
Medium
Graphite, with touches of erasing and stumping, on cream wove paper
Dimensions
28.5 × 22.9 cm (11 1/4 × 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
graphite
Credit Line
Margaret Day Blake Collection
Background & Context
Background Story
Henri Matisse's Portrait of Elsa Glaser (1914) is a graphite drawing on cream wove paper. Elsa Glaser was the wife of the German art collector Kurt Glaser, who supported Matisse and collected his work. This portrait, created in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I, captures a moment of tension and uncertainty. Matisse's graphite technique is refined and sensitive, the features rendered with precision and tenderness. The cream wove paper provides a warm ground. This portrait belongs to the period when Matisse was moving away from the decorative exuberance of his early work toward a more austere, disciplined style.
Cultural Impact
Matisse's portraits of the Glaser family document the network of patrons who supported the artist.
Why It Matters
This graphite portrait captures the elegance of its subject and the growing seriousness of Matisse's pre-war style.
