The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room)
Henri Matisse · 1907
Why it's great
A woman arranges fruit and wine on a table in a room where everything is red: the walls and the tablecloth blend, patterned with blue vines. Matisse first painted it in blue and then changed it to red. The flat patterns and strong color changed how artists treat space. It's a landmark of modern art.
Where to see it
📍 Hermitage Museum (General Staff Building)Saint Petersburg, Russia
Open in Maps ↗Hang it on your wall
Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Henri Matisse was born in northern France and began painting after an illness at age 20. He lived in Paris and then in Nice in the south, where he painted in bold, free colors. He was the leader of Fauvism, whose name means 'wild beasts', and later made colorful paper cut-outs. He died in Nice in 1954.
