\paperw19995 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \f1 Matisse painted this work to a commission from the Russian collector Shchukin, who wanted it to decorate his home in Moscow.
The canvas was intended to be hung at the top of the flight of stairs in the house, so Matisse imagined the dance taking place at the summit of a hill. The artist had already painted another version of this work in 1909, which is now in the Museum of
