As LACMA prepares for the 2026 public opening of the new David Geffen Galleries, the future home of the museum’s permanent collection spanning a breadth of eras and cultures, we’re sharing 50 iconic artworks that will be on view in the building over the next 50 weeks in the series 50 Works 50 Weeks.
Henri Matisse’s ceramic wall piece La Gerbe (1953) has been reinstalled in its new permanent home in the David Geffen Galleries. The work, which was previously on view in the lobby of the Ahmanson Building, was commissioned by Los Angeles collectors Frances and Sidney Brody for the atrium of their modernist home in West Los Angeles. Intended to occupy a prime position in their new art-filled home, the Matisse ceramic became, as Frances Brody would describe it, “the heart of our home.”
The journey to the work being installed in the Geffen Galleries has been a long one. I remember discussing the possibility of this gift to LACMA in 1986, when Frances Brody indicated that she would be willing to promise it to the museum in honor of our 25th anniversary. At the time she shared with me the fascinating story of the commission, showed me correspondence about the acquisition, and regaled me with amazing details about meeting Matisse. In 1952 the Brodys approached Matisse, who at the time was creating colorful paper cut-outs, with the idea of the commission. Matisse expressed interest and worked on several proposals even before knowing the exact size of the wall. He showed the Brodys a full-scale paper cut-out when they visited him in Cimiez, Nice, France, in May of 1952. They rejected this first design (that cut-out is today in the Moderna Museet, Stockholm; a ceramic version, Apollo, is in the Toledo Museum of Art) but accepted a subsequent proposal.
The Brodys also acquired the full-scale maquette of La Gerbe, which they subsequently donated to UCLA. The final ceramic, created in 15 sections, was shipped to L.A. shortly after the artist died in November 1954. Frances Brody, cognizant of the commission’s significance, wrote a fascinating account of the commission (republished in the summer 1956 edition of ARTnews, on page 67) which I think best describes the transaction.
Brody was a remarkable figure in Los Angeles’s history. Her grace, style, erudition, and opinions were truly legendary. When she passed away in 2009, we began the adventure of deinstalling this 2,000-pound ceramic wall, which had remained in its original position for more than half a century. It was, to say the least, a delicate and difficult procedure. Thanks to the ingenuity of our team, we were able to literally detach the mural from the wall (where it was bolted) in one piece and crane it out over the house and trees to an awaiting flatbed truck. Watching the Matisse hovering in the air high above the trees was one of the most heart-stopping moments I have ever had as a curator. Safely ensconced in a secure a-frame, the ceramic eventually made its way to the museum where it was installed in the lobby of the Ahmanson Building. It would remain there for a decade before moving once again to storage awaiting its new home in the Geffen Galleries. In late 2025 the work was carefully transported and installed and our conservators did a wonderful job of cleaning the work.
Now La Gerbe is in its permanent LACMA home, anchoring the north end of the Geffen Galleries, providing many visitors with a chance to see a familiar friend in a new setting and for others to encounter this joyous work for the first time.