The four 'Sophia Musiki' Lincoln Center Matisse Pianos are currently on display in the lobby of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, and will be auctioned this fall at our 2010 gala.

One of the highlights of Sing for Hope’s 2010 Street Pianos has been the Lincoln Center residency of the “Matisse Pianos” — a suite of four breathtaking instruments painted by renowned artist Sophie Matisse.

The great-granddaughter of Henri Matisse and the granddaughter of Marcel Duchamp, Sophie is a key figure in New York City’s contemporary art scene.  Her paintings are included in many of the world’s important collections, and in 2011, her work will be the subject of major solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art Beijing and New York’s Francis Naumann Gallery.

The 'Sophia Musiki Piano No. 1' in front of Alice Tully Hall

Sophie exudes a compelling blend of vulnerability and strength. To a group of Sing for Hope students who recently visited her at work in her studio, she openly shared some of the operating principles of her artistic life: “Never be afraid to make mistakes. Our mistakes can sometimes teach us more than our successes, anyway!”

Discussing her luminous, vibrantly colored pianos with the students, Sophie explained, “I love painting objects, and to do this on a three-dimensional surface is a challenge. It’s all about angles and surfaces, and learning.”

The 'Sophia Musiki Piano No. 2' in front of Avery Fisher Hall

During their two-week public residency, the four Lincoln Center Matisse Pianos were featured in national and international press, and developed of a passionate following among the thousands of New Yorkers and visitors who gathered to play them.

The four-piano “family” is entitled “Sophia Musiki” — a play on the artist’s name (sophia is Greek for wisdom) and the Greek word musiki (the arts of the nine Muses), and a reference to the overlapping of genres embodied in the art case piano tradition.

The 'Sophia Musiki Piano No. 3' in front of New York State Theater

In addition to the “Sophia Musiki” four-piano suite at Lincoln Center, Sophie created a fifth solo piano for Sing for Hope. This piano has been in residence this summer at the headquarters of the Rudin Management Company on Park Avenue, in appreciation of the Rudins’ generous loan of the “Sing for Hope Street Piano Art Space” at 32 Sixth Avenue. This 7,000 square foot space in TriBeCa provided an ideal staging area for the Street Pianos prior to their public debuts, allowing the 60 donated instruments to be brought to their full harmonic glory by tuner/technician Fred Patella, and to their full visual glory by Sophie and her fellow Sing for Hope Donor Artists, including Ruggero Vanni, Carlos DeMedeiros, Moira Fain, Julie Pitman, Lex Liang, Matt Allamon, and Sara Forney.

The 'Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) Piano,' in 24K gold leaf, features a pod of whales singing to their young — Sophie's reflection of the Sing for Hope mission of nurturing youth through arts outreach.

Sophie’s title for the piano in residence at the Rudin Management headquarters is “Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale),” referring to its depiction, in 24K gold leaf, of a pod of whales singing to their young. Says Sophie, “With the sale of these pianos, Sing for Hope will be able to provide arts education to students who would not otherwise have access to the creative freedom that art can bring. As you can see, the theme of this piano is whales with their kids… singing. My thought was if whales do that for their offspring, so should we!”

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Sophie Matisse

The four “Sophia Musiki” Lincoln Center Matisse Pianos are currently on display in the lobby of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, and will be auctioned this fall.

If you are interested in placing an early bid for one of Sophie Matisse’s pianos or simply requesting more information, please contact Sing for Hope Director of Operations Emily Walsh at (212) 966-5955 or e.walsh@singforhope.org. The proceeds from all five Matisse Pianos will fund Sing for Hope’s programs, bringing the healing power of art to communities in need.

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	Click here to read about Sophie in VOGUE
	Click here to read about Sophie in FRANCE AMERIQUE
	Click here to read about Sophie in ARTNET
	Click here and here to read about Sophie and the Matisse Pianos in THE NEW YORK TIMES
	Click here to view Sophie and the Matisse Pianos on CBS NEWS WITH KATIE COURIC