Odalisque with Raised Arms

Painted in 1923, Odalisque with Raised Arms is among the most refined expressions of Henri Matisse's celebrated series of odalisque paintings produced throughout the 1920s. The work depicts a reclining female figure — the model Henriette Darricarrière, who sat for Matisse regularly between 1920 and 1927 — seated with her arms raised in a relaxed, expansive pose against a richly patterned setting. The full title, Odalisque assise aux bras levés, fauteuil rayé vert, refers to the green-striped armchair that frames the composition. Oil on canvas measuring 23 by 26 inches, the work was sold directly by the artist to the Bernheim-Jeune gallery in Paris in March 1923.\n\nMatisse's fascination with the odalisque motif was kindled by his travels to Morocco in 1912, where the light, color, and sensuality of North African interiors left a lasting impression. In these paintings, he used the figure not primarily as a subject of desire but as an element of decorative harmony — a form among forms, balancing color, pattern, and volume in compositions of extraordinary calm. The work entered the collection of Chester Dale and was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1963, where it remains today.