This collection includes magazines and clippings, letters, photographs, and color swatches pertaining to the commissioning of the ceramic tile La Gerbe (The Sheaf) by Francis L. and Sidney F. Brody from Henri Matisse. These materials include a vintage color photograph depicting La Gerbe (The Sheath), installed at the Brody home, and two black and white photographs depicting Henri Matisse at work with the ceramic and the crates the work was shipped to California in.

Frances Lasker Brody (1916-2009) was born in Chicago, IL to Flora and advertising pioneer Albert Lasker. She met Sidney F. Brody while serving in a volunteer ambulance corps during World War II and they were married in 1942. The Brodys moved to Los Angeles after the war and Mr. Brody became a successful developer of shopping centers. The couple became important patrons of the arts in Southern California including their active support of and involvement with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, where Sidney Brody served on the Board of Trustees from the museum's founding as an independant entity in 1961 until his death in 1983 (serving in the offices of Vice President, President, and Chairman successively between 1961 and 1973).

1.5 Linear Feet 1 Solander box

Contact the Balch Research Library for information on publishing or reproducing materials included in these records. Permission is granted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art as the owner of the physical materials, and does not imply permission from the copyright holder. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain all necessary permissions from the copyright holder.

Library staff: For access to this collection contact Stephanie Barron and/or Lauren Bergman on behalf of the researcher.