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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Kim Willsher in Paris

Matisse’s muse: new exhibition dedicated to the illegitimate daughter he spent a lifetime painting

A portrait of Marguerite sleeping, painted by Henri Matisse in 1920.
A portrait of Marguerite sleeping, painted by Henri Matisse in 1920. Photograph: Collection particulière / © Martin Parsekian

Throughout his career, Henri Matisse would return repeatedly to paint his favourite model: his illegitimate daughter, Marguerite.

In what is considered his most famous portrait, she is depicted holding a black cat. In others, she is reading, relaxing and sleeping, most often with a high-neck blouse, a ribbon or a scarf covering a tracheotomy scar.

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