Henri Matisse
A Glimpse of Notre-Dame in the Late Afternoon
From $80
This painting is a pale turquoise field with soft grey figures and warm ochre, and a cheap copy turns it to flat blue. Our Henri Matisse Arab Coffeehouse print was graded so the turquoise stays pale and the ochres stay warm.
Canvas, framed or paper
Stretched canvas. Printed on cotton canvas and stretched taut over a frame. The edges are mirror-wrapped, so the picture continues around the sides and none of it is lost to the fold.
Framed canvas. The same canvas, set in a black, white, natural wood or dark wood frame 0.83 in deep. The frame gives the work a finished edge and a little more presence on the wall.
Framed print. Printed on fine art matte paper and framed in solid pine, behind shatterproof plexiglass, in black, white, natural wood or dark wood. It arrives ready to hang. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame.
Fine art print. Printed on 310gsm fine art matte paper, for framing your own way. It travels rolled and protected. From 18x24 inch.
Sizes
20x16 inch, 30x24 inch, 40x32 inch. Framed sizes are measured on the outside of the frame, so the visible painting is a little smaller.
On your wall
Its wide shape suits a living room, a bedroom or a calm wall. The pale turquoise looks serene with white, sand and pale wood, and a white or natural frame suits it.
About the painting
Arab Coffeehouse by Henri Matisse
Goldfish in Tangier
In Tangier, Henri Matisse noticed that people would sit for hours watching goldfish swim in a bowl. Early in 1913, on his second trip to Morocco, he painted a café full of that stillness.
Inner peace
Pale figures rest on a turquoise ground around a goldfish bowl, while one plays music behind. It has been called the most abstract of all his Moroccan paintings; the Hermitage calls it the epitome of absolute inner peace.
An hour at a time
Matisse had all but promised it to Ivan Morozov, but Sergei Shchukin bought it. He wrote to Matisse that he loved it more than the others, and looked at it for no less than an hour at a time.
Read the story
In a café in Tangier, people would sit for hours, watching goldfish swim round a bowl.
Henri Matisse noticed it, and it stayed with him.
Early in 1913, on his second trip to Morocco, he painted this café. Pale grey figures rest on a ground of soft green-turquoise, with touches of warm ochre. In the front is the goldfish bowl. Behind, someone plays music.
It has been called the most abstract of all his Moroccan paintings. The Hermitage, which owns it, calls it the epitome of absolute inner peace.
There's a small drama in its history. Matisse had all but promised it to one Russian collector, Ivan Morozov. Instead, another collector, Sergei Shchukin, bought it.
And Shchukin was smitten. He wrote to Matisse: I love it now more than the others, and I look at it for no less than an hour at a time.
So the painting about people staring at goldfish for hours had a collector staring at it for hours.
In 1918, after the Revolution, Shchukin's collection was taken by the state.
Find the goldfish bowl first. Then just sit with it, for a while.
Arab Coffeehouse. Henri Matisse, 1913.
How each piece is brought to life
Faithful to the original, and made to be felt on your wall.
Graded against the original
We compare every work with the original as we grade it, keeping the artist’s colours true while bringing back their depth and glow. Every mark stays the artist’s own.
Printed for you
Printed to order on cotton canvas or fine art paper, then framed if you chose a frame, in 1 to 3 business days.
On your wall
It arrives 5 to 12 business days later, tracked and free anywhere in the US. Framed pieces come ready to hang.
Questions
Is this the original painting?
No. The original hangs in a museum. What you receive is a fine art reproduction, remastered from the original and printed for you, with every mark where the artist left it.
Will the colour look flat?
This is where most reproductions disappoint, and it is where we spend the most time. Each work is graded side by side with the original: faithful to the artist’s colours, with the depth and warmth brought back, so it moves you on the wall the way it was meant to. Canvas reads a touch softer than a backlit screen, and every screen shows colour a little differently.
Will the edges be cropped?
Each size is a standard frame size, so we fit the painting by trimming a little from its edges. We never stretch or squash it, and we check every size by eye so no face, figure or signature is cut. On canvas the edges are mirror-wrapped, which keeps the whole picture on the front.
Which size is right for my wall?
Aim for about two-thirds the width of the furniture beneath it. Over a sofa or a sideboard, one of the two largest sizes will hold the wall. The size guide lists every size in inches and centimetres, with the kind of wall each one suits.
How long does it take?
Your piece is printed in 1–3 business days, then spends 5–12 business days in transit, tracked all the way. Delivery is free anywhere in the US. We are unable to deliver to PO boxes.
What if it arrives damaged?
Send us a photograph and we will remake it and send it again. There is nothing to return.
Can I return it?
Yes, within 30 days of delivery. Our returns policy has the details.
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Printed to order
Graded against the original, then printed for you on cotton canvas or fine art paper in 1–3 business days.
The whole painting
Every mark is the artist’s own, and canvas edges are mirror-wrapped so the whole picture stays on the front.
Free US shipping
On every order, tracked, 5–12 business days in transit.
30-day returns
Returns and exchanges within 30 days of delivery.
