Upcoming Exhibition

Matisse's Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal

May 16–September 13, 2026
Floor 4
Save the date! Member pre-sale starts Tuesday, March 31. General Public tickets go on sale Tuesday, April 7. Exhibition will be surcharged.

Experience the moment Matisse used color to break the rules of modern art.
In 1905, Henri Matisse sent shockwaves through the art world with Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat), a portrait of his wife, Amélie, painted in bold color and loose brushstrokes that defied convention. This exhibition brings the original stakes into focus and explores the enduring impact of one of Matisse’s most iconic works.

Step into the gallery at the Salon d’Automne where it all began.
Explore a restaging of Femme au chapeau’s public debut in 1905, bringing together the greatest number of works from that historic display in over a century. See why paintings by Matisse, André Derain, Albert Marquet, Maurice de Vlaminck, and others sparked such heated debate and admiration during their time.

Trace how artists have responded to Femme au chapeau across generations.
From Matisse’s peers to artists working today, such as Hilary Harkness and Rachel Harrison, see how the painting has shaped perceptions about color, content, form, and expression. The exhibition also uncovers its impact closer to home, on Bay Area figurative artists like Joan Brown, Richard Diebenkorn, and David Park.

Only at SFMOMA
As the exclusive venue for this landmark exhibition, SFMOMA is the only place where you can experience the full story and radical spirit of Femme au chapeau.

Exhibition Preview

Hilary Harkness, Answered Prayers, 2024; private collection; © Hilary Harkness; photo: courtesy Hilary Harkness and P·P·O·W, New York
André Derain, Henri Matisse, 1905; Tate; © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photo: Tate
Richard Diebenkorn, Woman in Hat and Gloves, 1963; private collection; © 2026 Richard Diebenkorn Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photo: courtesy Sotheby’s, Inc. © 2026
Henri Matisse, Madame Matisse in a Kimono, 1905; private collection; © 2026 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photo: courtesy Archives Henri Matisse
Henri Manguin, Jeanne sur le balcon de la Villa Demiere, 1905; private collection; © 2026 Henri Manguin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photo: © Fabrice Lepeltier
Albert Marquet, Vue d'Agay, 1905; Musée national d’Art modern, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photo: Philippe Migeat, © CNAC/MNAM, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Art Resource, NY
Joan Brown, Self-Portrait in Fur Hat, 1972; di Rosa, Napa; © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / DACS, London; photo: Robert Berg Photography, courtesy di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
Maurice De Vlaminck, Woman with a Hat, 1905; The National Gallery of Art, donated by Lolo Sarnoff in memory of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert von Hirsch; © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Rachel Harrison, Hoarders, 2012; courtesy the artist and Greene Naftali, New York; © Rachel Harrison, courtesy the artist and Greene Naftali, New York; photo: John Berens
Henri Matisse, Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat), 1905; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, bequest of Elise B. Haas; photo: Ben Blackwell, courtesy SFMOMA

Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal is organized by Janet Bishop, Thomas Weisel Family Chief Curator and Maria Castro, former Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Associate Curator of Painting and Sculpture with Alison Guh, Assistant Curator of Painting and Sculpture.

Lead support for Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal is provided by Mimi and Peter Haas Fund and Diana Nelson and John Atwater.

Presenting support is provided by Bank of America and Dana and Bob Emery.

Bank of America.

Major support is provided by Neal Benezra Exhibition Fund, Carolyn and Preston Butcher SFMOMA Exhibition Fund, and Davidow Family Fund for Exhibitions of Modern Art.

Significant support is provided by Deloitte and Yes SF, Mary Jane Elmore, Christine and Pierre Lamond, The Elaine McKeon Endowed Exhibition Fund, Jessica Moment and Sebastian Bredberg, Deborah and Kenneth Novack, and Anonymous.

Deloitte and YES SF logos.

Meaningful support is provided by Alka and Ravin Agrawal, Dolly and George Chammas, Laurie and Jim Ghielmetti, Robert Lehman Foundation, Stuart G. Moldaw Public Program and Exhibition Fund, Nancy and Alan Schatzberg, Thomas W. Weisel and Janet Barnes, Bobbie and Mike Wilsey, Pat and Bill Wilson Exhibitions Fund, and Anonymous.

Additional support is provided by The Glen and Sakie Fukushima Fund and John and Carry Thacher.

Support for the catalogue is provided by Furthermore: a program of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.

Header image: Henri Matisse, Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat), 1905 (detail); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, bequest of Elise B. Haas; photo: Ben Blackwell, courtesy SFMOMA