6 Exciting Ways to See Matisse in 2026

Henri Matisse’s sesquicentennial is three years away, but renowned galleries and museums around the world are celebrating the artist in 2026 with a slate of exhibitions spanning over 50 years of his career. This year already saw the dual show “Stanley Whitney Henri Matisse” at Craig Starr Gallery in New York. More is on the way. From his guaranteed-to-be-something-special showcase at the Grand Palais in Paris to a comprehensive look at his painting Femme au Chapeau in San Francisco, Matisse will be everywhere.

1. “Matisse, 1941–1954” | Grand Palais, Paris

The centerpiece of Matisse exhibits this year will be running at the Grand Palais in cooperation with the Centre Pompidou. The blockbuster will be devoted to his late career, from the start of WWII through his death in 1954. This time in his life saw a rare late-career flowering, and his large, brightly colored, dynamic paper and gouache cutouts. The natural light-filled, capacious halls provide a brilliantly fitting viewing environment for the monumental gouaches.

On view March 24–July 26

2. “Matisse in Vence: The Stations of the Cross” | Baltimore Museum of Art

Also focusing on the older Matisse, “Matisse in Vence: The Stations of the Cross” examines his work on the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, France. The spare, black-and-white designs would eventually translate to glowingly spiritual stained glass designs. Over 80 drawings that the artist made for his sole architectural project will be on view in this collaborative production with the Musée Matisse Nice.

On view March 29–June 28, 2026

3. “Henri Matisse: Beyond Color” | Morris Museum

As its name implies, “Beyond Color” is devoted to drawings, mostly monochrome work on paper. The drawings are rooted in the same late period as the Grand Palais show, but from a sadder part of it, when the artist saw his health and family ravaged by age and war. Continuing to create beauty in the face of such sources of despair constitutes a brave, life-affirming act of resistance that we can continue to learn from.

On view April 12—August 9, 2026

4. “Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal” | SFMOMA

1905’s Femme au Chapeau was a clanging bell announcing the split between Post Impressionism and Fauvism. Matisse’s wife Amélie’s greenish face and crazily bright, abstracted hat declare something further: a new stage in the realization of what painting could do after photography negated its historic purpose of proving a record of events and what people looked like. Janet Bishop, SFMOMA’s Thomas Weisel Family Chief Curator, says, “Arguably SFMOMA’s most art historically significant painting—Femme au chapeau began sending shockwaves through the art world as soon as it left Matisse’s studio and has captivated viewers ever since.” SFMOMA’s show is here to tell the full story.

On view May 16–September 13, 2026

5. “Matisse: The Pursuit of Harmony” | Aquavella Galleries

Aquavella Galleries offers a mini-retrospective around the theme of harmony. In around 50 artworks, it distills a conversation essential to Matisse’s whole career: the balancing interplay between color, form, and line in space into a composition that feels spontaneous but is actually the result of attuned study. Nudes, sculptures, and still lifes address the same questions, but follow rhyming paths.

On view April 9–May 22

6. Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (MAM)

The Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris recently announced a donation of over 60 artworks by Matisse, almost all of them featuring his daughter, Marguerite. The sketches, paintings, and more previously appeared in a 2025 exhibit called Matisse and Marguerite: Through her Father’s Eyes. The works now joining MAM’s permanent collection show how she inspired her father from her childhood through middle age. Many went unseen for decades while privately held, so it will be a treat for the public to have access to them after this year’s shows are done.

Works now in permanent collection of Musée d’Art Moderne