Henri Matisse’s painting Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat) (1905) has been part of SFMOMA’s story from the museum’s beginning. This portrait of the artist’s wife and muse, Amélie — considered scandalous by early twentieth-century art critics for its raucous colors and techniques that broke from painting tradition — was first exhibited at the museum in 1936, a year after its founding as the San Francisco Museum of Art, and it has been an icon within our holdings since entering the collection in 1991.

The rich storylines surrounding this masterwork — from its style and subject to its controversial public debut, journey to SFMOMA, and enduring impact on modern and contemporary art — encompass an impressive cast of artists, a famous family of collectors, and an incomparable arts philanthropist, who have each contributed to the history of this work.