Dance (I)

Henri Matisse · Paris, Boulevard des Invalides, early 1909

This is Dance, the first version — full size, and made as a trial run for a Russian collector who had asked for a painting for his staircase. Matisse kept the colour turned down here. In the final version the bodies burn red.

Medium Oil on canvas · Dimensions 8' 6 1/2" × 12 9 11/16" (260.4 × 390.4 cm) · Credit Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller in honor of Alfred H. Barr, Jr.

Hanging beside it in Gallery 506: The Rose Marble Table

Works like this one elsewhere in the museum: The Man. Costume design for the ballet H.P. (Horsepower), Moulin Rouge, 14 Juillet (Bastille Day) Paris, Ile Saint-Louis, Balletto, Big Cry, Tongues (Holy Rollers)

More by Henri Matisse here: The Back (I), The Back (II), The Back (III), The Back (IV), Tiari, The Moroccans