Philadelphia Museum of Art – Curator Matthew Affron and the artists walked through “Matisse in the 1930s,” discussing which works would inspire their murals.

Matisse in the 1930s features a collection of the legendary artist’s work during a decade of artistic exploration—from experimentation, to failure, to renewal—with Philadelphia as a backdrop.

By 1930, Henri Matisse had achieved significant international renown, yet he found himself in a deep creative slump. The turning point came with a commission to decorate the main gallery of the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. The resulting monumental mural, The Dance (1930–33), turned Matisse’s artistic practice around.