Matisse Exhibition

Trip to Paris . Written May 13, 2026

On to the Grand Palais where I have a ticket to see the Matisse exhibition. How do I get there from the hotel? Just go through park and follow the signs. It’s just there. What they didn’t mention was at the park was full of path going in every which direction and of course I got lost. It’s not so bad to be lost in a beautiful park full of flowers and trees, but then my phone screen turned black, and I was beginning to feel stressed. Somehow, even without the phone, I found myself out of the park and crossing the Champs-Elesees. There was a long line waiting for the museum to open and I happen to be standing by a woman who was looking at her phone and I asked if she could help me with my phone because it was a black screen. Well, wouldn’t you know she was from California immediately solved the problem. I thought if I hadn’t been lost in the park, I might never have met this nice woman.

The Matisse exhibit was beyond words incredible! Most of the pieces were very large I loved his bright colors, but then I saw the collage cut out that he made in his later life, inspired again, and I was completely mesmerized by them. I sat in front of his Blue and White water collage for at 20 minutes. Although crowded, everyone is extremely polite and respectful.

Then, to my surprise, the museum was all showing a collection from Hilma at Klint, a Scandinavian, 1862-1944,artist that I’ve only recently become acquainted with and enchanted by. She made hundreds of paintings during her lifetime, but requested that nothing be shown until after her death. She painted abstract, which was very unusual for a woman at the time. Abstract images had a spiritual philosophical meaning behind them. Like Matisse, her paintings were enormous, taking huge wall space. Her use of color is one of the things that really drew me to her paintings, but also her repetitive use of circles.

This one of the best days I’ve ever had in Paris. But it doesn’t quite end there…. The day’s final surprise is on the next post.