He Stedelikj museum in Amsterdam will give one of his most precious works to a Dutch family. It is the painting “Odalisque”created by the French painter Henri Matisse.
The artwork will be returned to the heirs of the family of the German-Jewish textile businessman Albert Stern. These are because the Netherlands Restitution Committee considered that the original owner of the collection should have sold the painting under the need of escape from Nazi occupation.
The return of Matisse’s painting
Stern and his family had to flee the Netherlands in 1937. In this context, the immigrants sold the Matisse painting to the Stedelikj museum, located in Amsterdam.
Now him Netherlands Restitution Committee recommended to the art gallery and the Municipality of Amsterdam -owner of the collection – to return the artwork to Stern’s heirs. According to the committee authorities, it is “ plausible“that the family has sold the painting with the intention of obtain funds to escape the Nazi regime.
Odalisca.webp
The Odalisque by Henri Matisse.
Stedelijk Museum
The Dutch restitution body assured that, given the characteristics of the transaction, the sale was a “involuntary loss of possession due to circumstances directly related to the Nazi regime“. On the other hand Rein Wolf, the director of the Stedelijk, said that “This work of art depicts a very sad story and is connected to the unspeakable suffering inflicted on this family.”
For her part, the Councilor for Culture, Touria Melianistressed that the return of works of art, such as the “Odalisque” can represent “a lot for the victims and is of great importance for the recognition of the injustice committed against them.” In addition, Meliani stressed that the city of Amsterdam has “a role and a responsibility in this”.
In total, it is estimated that Dutch museums own at least 170 works of art that were stolen from their Jewish owners during the course of the Second World War. Currently, in the Stedelijk Museum there are fifteen objects which would have a similar origin to that of the Odalisque.
The story of the Odalisque
The French painter Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is one of the most recognized figures of the 20th century art. Born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, a town north of France and a lawyer by profession, the artist was able to create a own stylewhich broke the norms of the time while achieving the critical praise.
Between the years 1917 and 1930After his two trips to Morocco, Matisse was inspired by North African aesthetics and women took a central role in his work. In this sense, the Frenchman painted numerous odalisques throughout his career.
In this case, the painting owned by the Stedelijk Museum was painted between 1920 and 1921 and has been part of the gallery’s collection since July 1941. It shows the odalisque reclining on a divan on a pinkish background. The charm and importance of this work lies not only in the harmony of its colors and the ordered disorder of his brushstrokes, but also in his history and the historical significance of the painting.
