In winter of 1912, Henri Matisse—forty-two, nearing mid-career, and yet to find lasting critical acceptance—was struggling. Once the vanguard leader, the Parisian avant-garde now considered him passé. His important early collectors had stopped buying his work and were fully championing Picasso, leaving him to exhibit little in the last few years.

In the face of Cubism dominating the art scene, Matisse needed to get away from Paris to advance his distinctive artistic vision. Almost on a whim, he went to Tangier, a city where Islamic art was deeply integrated into everyday life. Despite challenges like rain, insomnia, and depression, his sojourn was such a success that he returned the following winter, leading to even greater artistic triumph.

Matisse in Morocco tells the story of the artist's groundbreaking time in Tangier and how it altered Matisse’s development as a painter, marking his work for the next four decades. Through Koehler's research, we experience Matisse's time in Tangier, the paintings and their subjects, and his relationships with his wife Amélie and his two important collectors.

The impact of Morocco—its light, colors, culture, and artistic traditions—had a profound effect on his art. From Landscape Viewed From a Window to Zorah on the Terrace, and from Kasbah Gate to the dream-like tableau Moroccan Café, these works are now recognized as some of the most significant of Matisse’s illustrious career.