French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954) may be best known for his colorful paintings, but he also created large-scale textiles, including a rare work that has entered the collection at the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville via a private donation.
“Océanie, le ciel” (whose name translates to “Oceania, the sky”) is a mural-sized screenprint on linen conceived in 1946 and printed in 1948.
Inspired by the artist’s 1930 trip to Tahiti, it was donated to the museum by Josephine Merrill Eastman and the Eastman family in honor of Colby College President David A. Greene.
“There are few families that have had a more profound impact on artists and the arts more generally than the Eastmans,” said Greene, a Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year honoree in 2017. “They have spent a lifetime protecting the rights of artists to own their creative and intellectual property.”
This acquisition brings a major work by Matisse into the museum’s collection, substantially expanding its engagement with one of modernism’s central figures, elevating the museum’s standing among peer institutions, the museum said in its announcement.
It noted that a monumental Matisse of this caliber is rarely found outside a small number of the world’s foremost museums.
‘Creative experimentation’
Reflecting the Eastman family’s longstanding ties to the region since the 1940s, Josephine Merrill Eastman described the contribution as a gift to both Colby and the state of Maine. It was previously displayed for more than 50 years in John L. Eastman’s Manhattan office.
In accordance with the terms of the gift — and in recognition of John Eastman’s longstanding commitment to education — the work will be fully integrated into the Colby curriculum.
“Up until the last decade of his life, Matisse asked himself ‘what if,’ finding joy in new ways of making art,” said Jacqueline Terrassa, Carolyn Muzzy Director of the Colby College Museum of Art.
“We are deeply grateful to the Eastman family for this extraordinary gift, which will continually inspire students and our broader community to engage in the critical thinking skills and creative experimentation necessary to navigate and shape our world,” she added.
The textile is on view in the museum’s Sally and Michael Gordon Gallery.
Around 50,000 people annually visit the museum, which has a building on campus as well as a gallery in downtown Waterville and does not charge admission. Visitors include schoolchildren from across the state who participate in a free K-12 program.
Colby College, whose roots go back to 1813, is ranked fifth among Maine’s largest colleges and universities in the 2026 Mainebiz Book of Lists. Institutions were ranked by full-time undergraduate enrollment in fall 2025.
