Woman with a Hat (Femme au chapeau)

Henri Matisse

Oil on canvas

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat) is a half-length portrait of Amélie Matisse, the artist's wife, depicted in an elaborate bourgeois outfit — a large ornate hat, long gloves, and a fan — rendered in vivid, non-naturalistic patches of color with raw, energetic brushstrokes. Painted in oil on canvas in 1905, the work marks a decisive break from Matisse's earlier Neo-Impressionist technique, embracing instead a bold, expressive approach to color that would define Fauvism. When exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in Paris that same year alongside works by André Derain, Maurice de Vlaminck, and others, the painting caused a sensation; critic Louis Vauxcelles's description of the exhibiting artists as "fauves" (wild beasts) gave the movement its name. The painting is widely regarded as one of the foundational works of 20th-century modern art and remains a centerpiece of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's collection.