Matisse's Ceramic Mural 'La Gerbe' Finds Permanent Home at LACMA's David Geffen Galleries

Henri Matisse's ceramic wall artwork, 'La Gerbe,' created in 1953, has found a permanent home at the David Geffen Galleries of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, set to open to the public in 2026. Commissioned by collectors Frances and Sidney Brody for their modernist residence in West Los Angeles, the 2,000-pound piece remained there for over fifty years. After Frances Brody passed away in 2009, it was carefully removed using a crane. For a decade, it was displayed in LACMA's Ahmanson Building lobby before being placed in storage. In late 2025, conservators prepared and relocated the artwork to its new position at the galleries' north end. The Brodys approached Matisse in 1952, initially rejecting a design during a May visit, though that cut-out is now at Stockholm's Moderna Museet. The accepted design was crafted in fifteen sections and shipped to Los Angeles shortly after Matisse's death in November 1954. Frances Brody pledged the artwork to LACMA in 1986 for the museum's 25th anniversary, documented in a 1956 ARTnews article, while the full-scale maquette was given to UCLA. This installation is part of LACMA's '50 Works 50 Weeks' initiative, showcasing pieces for the new building.