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Lagoon II

Artist Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)
Title Lagoon II (Le Lagon II)
Plate Number Plate XVIII, pages 130 and 131
Series Jazz
Date 1943–1947, published 1947
Medium Color pochoir (stencil) on paper
Dimensions Image: 16 5/8 × 25 5/8 in. (42.2 × 65.1 cm)
Sheet: 16 5/8 × 25 5/8 in. (42.2 × 65.1 cm)
Portfolio: 17 1/2 × 13 3/8 × 2 1/4 in. (44.5 × 34 × 5.7 cm)
Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University
Accession Number 65.23.18

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About this Work

In Jazz, Henri Matisse expressed his delight with the lagoons of Tahiti: "Lagoons: wouldn't you be one of the seven wonders of the Paradise of painters?" He followed with a paean to all of Nature: "Happy are those who sing with all their heart, from the bottoms of their hearts. To find joy in the sky, the trees, the flowers. There are always flowers for those who want to see them."

The three white forms in "The Lagoon" were originally cut from a single piece of white paper. If reoriented, they would fit together precisely with no scraps to spare.

Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art has a complete copy of Matisse's Jazz (Eskenazi Museum of Art 65.23.1–.20) in its original slipcase bearing a personal inscription to the artist’s friend Jean Puy, a Post-Impressionist painter.


Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Publisher Tériade
Printer Edmond Vairel, Paris
Printer Draeger Frères, Paris
Plate Number Plate XVIII, pages 130 and 131
Series Title Jazz

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"Lagoon II | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=65.23.18