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A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 29 OcTOber 2019
Museum spotlights connection between Matisse, Alaska Natives

By TERRY TANG ums are caretakers of our
Associated Press civilizations' treasures. That's
PHOENIX (AP) — Nearly important to say," McIntyre
64 years after his death, said.
Henri Matisse has become In the early 20th century,
one of the few non-Native the masks and Native cul-
Americans to have an exhi- tures in general gained a
bition at a Phoenix museum following among traders
dedicated to Native Ameri- and collectors who were
can culture. interested in preserva-
The little-known intersection tion, Mooney said. Many
of one of the 20th century's masks ended up in muse-
greatest artists and Inuit ums. George Gustav Heye,
people in the Arctic region whose vast collection of
is at the heart of a show Native American objects
opening Monday at the shaped the Smithsonian's
Heard Museum. National Museum of the
"It's a story I didn't know American Indian, was one
much about until 1998 of the leaders in bringing
when I became friendly artifacts to New York City,
with a member of the Ma- where they came into the
tisse family," said museum orbit of the French intelli-
director David Roche. "It gentsia.
truly took several years to Curator Sean Mooney checks the final installation of an assortment of Yup'ik masks made by Masks typically are created
absorb it all. It spans cen- Alaskan Natives at the Heard Museum, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in Phoenix. in pairs or other groupings
turies, cultures and conti- Associated Press to represent symbolic rela-
nents." tionships such as male and
"Yua: Henri Matisse and masks and this very specific ers and other materials, said masks are traditionally female, or night and day.
the Inner Arctic Spirit " will historic body of work by and two books with pho- worn at annual festivals be- So, the show will mean re-
feature Matisse's portraits Matisse." tographs of Inuit men and tween Native villages dur- uniting masks that have
of the Inuit people, which Matisse is more widely laud- women. The museum will ing a gathering known as a been separated for, in
have never been dis- ed as a pioneer in Fauvism have several black-and- potlatch. some cases, a century, mu-
played in the U.S. But the — a style characterized by white portraits, including Historically, the masks were seum director Roche said.
French artist, who died in vivid colors and less con- charcoal drawings and discarded after a ceremo- After the exhibition closes
1954, will share the spotlight trolled brush strokes. But he lithographs. Taken with the ny. Sometimes they were Feb. 3, some masks will go
with Alaska Natives who in- became interested in indig- culture, Matisse even be- burned or left on the tun- on display in Alaska.
fluenced him. Yup'ik masks enous cultures in the 1940s. gan referring to any portrait dra, Nakak said. Some people may question
made by Alaskan Natives, Son-in-law Georges Duthuit he did as a mask. Some American Indian cul- giving space at a museum
some of which were col- had acquired an array of "With a stroke, he created tures would not consider for American Indian artists
lected by Matisse's son-in- the masks and other mate- what he called masks," showing ceremonial items to a white, European one.
law during World War II, will rials while living in New York said co-curator Chuna Mc- such as masks because But Roche said the exhibi-
be just as much a part of City as World War II broke Intyre, who is Central Yup'ik. they consider them to be tion has immense support
the exhibit. out, Mooney said. In 1946, "He got the essence. It's living beings not meant for because of its duality.
The Heard is the only place Duthuit returned to France amazing — pared down, display. Yup'ik people, on "The Heard has been a
showcasing the unconven- with his collection. quiet interior, personal cre- the other hand, tend to be leader in presenting Ameri-
tional pairing. He and Matisse's daughter, ations." more transparent, McIntyre can Indian art with great
"We have a lot of historic Marguerite, suggested Ma- Villagers would traditionally said. He said the masks al- sensitivity," Roche said. "I
firsts in this particular work," tisse do three illustrations for tell stories with the masks ways have been intended think it's meaningful that
said curator Sean Mooney. a proposed book on the through song or dance, to be shared in public per- we are working in this way. I
"We're kind of doing an ex- Arctic people. He made 50. paying respect to "yua." formance. think stories, to be told well,
hibition within an exhibition Matisse, according to According to the Yup'ik cul- "We Yup'iks feel in terms of often have to be told from
by having these two paral- Mooney, looked at masks ture, "yua" means spirit but museum collections, muse- multiple perspectives."q
lel displays of historic Yup'ik made of wood, feath- can also refer to the spirit
inside living creatures, in-
animate objects and their
connection to each other.
"Everything that exists in this
universe has the potential
of yua because it exists
here. That's an old concept
in Yup'ik," McIntyre said.
"There's a whole gravity to
it. Yua — it's in a being, it's
in a person."
Yup'ik Eskimos comprise
one of 11 distinct cultures
among Alaska Natives in
the southwest part of the
An assortment of Yup'ik masks made by Alaskan Natives are state, according to the Heard Museum associate registrar Kristen Laughlin checks the
displayed at the Heard Museum, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in Alaska Native Heritage light balance on a pair of Matisse drawings during final prepara-
Phoenix. Center. Marge Nakak, a tions, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018, in Phoenix.
Associated Press cultural host at the center, Associated Press