The Painter's Family (La Famille du Peintre)
Painting on canvas • Henri Matisse
Style & Movement
Fauvism / Modernism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas; utilize Fauvist flat application of color, simplified forms, and decorative patterning inspired by oriental carpets and wallpaper.
Creation Period
1911
Dimensions & Format
143 x 194.1 cm (approximately 56.3 x 76.4 inches); Horizontal Landscape Format
Subject Description
The painting depicts the artist's family in their living room at Issy-les-Moulineaux. His two sons, Henri and Pierre, are shown playing checkers; his daughter Marguerite stands to the right in a black dress; and his wife Amélie is seated in the background. The composition is notable for its vibrant red floor and the integration of figures into a dense, patterned environment.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent; well-preserved in a museum environment.
Estimated Market Value
$150,000,000 - $250,000,000 (Estimate based on its status as a foundational masterpiece of 20th-century art)
Auction Estimate
In excess of $100,000,000
Provenance History
Commissioned by the Russian businessman and visionary collector Sergei Shchukin in 1911; nationalized after the Russian Revolution; currently held in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
Art Historical Significance
This is one of Matisse's most important large-scale 'symphonic' interiors. It represents the pinnacle of his decorative period where he successfully balanced domestic intimacy with radical spatial abstraction. It is a key work in the transition toward his later 'Red Studio'.
Notable Features
The use of a 'radical' red as a unifying field; the detailed depiction of a Persian rug which serves as a grid for the composition; the incorporation of the artist's own sculpture 'Figure Décorative' on the mantelpiece.
Condition Issues
Minor surface craquelure consistent with age, though largely stable due to professional museum climate controls.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain stable relative humidity (45-55%) and temperature; UV-filtered lighting; periodic inspection for pigment stability.