Henri Matisse: La Gerbe
In 1952 Mr. and Mrs. Sidney F. Brody approached Henri Matisse, who was then creating colorful paper cut-outs, with the idea of commissioning a large ceramic wall for the patio of their new home in Los Angeles. Matisse worked on several proposals even before knowing the exact size of the wall. He showed the Brodys a full-scale paper cut-out when they visited him in Cimiez (Nice, France) in 1952. They rejected this first design but accepted a subsequent proposal. The final ceramic La Gerbe (The Sheaf), created in fifteen sections, was shipped to L.A. shortly after the artist died in November 1954 and installed on a patio wall, where it remained until Frances Brody’s death in 2009. The ceramic was carefully removed from brought to LACMA, where it was lightly cleaned and has now been installed permanently. To hear a recording of first-hand account written by Mrs. Brody, visitors may dial 888.788.7457. The account is also available here. (PDF | 936kb)
Image: La Gerbe installed in Brody residence. Photo courtesy the archives of Frances Brody, now at LACMA.
Major Matisse Ceramic Added to LACMA's Collection
Today is the long-awaited 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, graced their elegant home designed by A. Quincy Jones in the early 1950s. 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.”
