DescriptionPainted in Collioure, a scenic town on the Mediterranean coast that drew many painters of the day, "Promenade among the Olive Trees" is one of the earliest and most important paintings of Matisse's Fauve period. Inspired by the works of his older contemporaries Paul Signac and Henri-Edmond Cross, who also lived in the south of France at this time, Matisse adopted the vibrant, unnatural colors favored by the Fauves. The artist found great inspiration in the sun-drenched landscape of Collioure, writing to a friend that it was full of "charming sites." This painting was acquired by Gertrude and Leo Stein shortly after it was completed.

ProvenanceGertrude and Leo Stein, Paris, 1906; acquired by Robert Lehman from undocumented source, Paris, May/June 1949