Photo By Gail

Henri Matisse’s stained glass work, Nuit de Noël or Christmas Eve (1952), is a vibrant example of the artist’s later experimentation with bold colors and forms, and very much influenced by his extensive work with paper cut outs.


Detail

To create a study for this piece, Matisse cut out organic shapes from paper painted in different colors, which he then arranged into a pattern. With assistance from a stained glass window maker, he made glass versions of the shapes, which were then used to create this window. The window was ready in time to celebrate Christmas, which is how it got its name.

Photographed in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.