Less than a mile from the Kykuit estate sits this unassuming little church, we would have completely bypassed but for an article listing it as one the ”surprising places to see art in the Hudson Valley”.
And even though after reading the article it was no longer a surprise, we were still awestruck the moment we set foot inside, instantly surrounded by light flowing through Marc Chagall’s nine stained-glass windows, topped by “La Rosace” (the Rose Window), Henri Matisse’s last work.
We learned that “La Rosace” was designed as one of Matisse’s colored paper “cut-outs” and was completed just a few days before the artist’s death. Matisse died before the window could be fabricated, but his daughter, Marguerite Duthuit, discovered the completed paper maquette at Matisse’s home and took charge of the commission, which she invested with great emotional significance as her father’s last creation. “La Rosace” was dedicated to the memory of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller on Mother’s Day, 1956. [source]
Photography inside the church was strictly prohibited, but you can see the windows and hear their story by taking a virtual tour inside Union Church of Pocantico Hills.
Union Church on Pocantico Hills
Tarrytown, N.Y.
July 19th, 2019
The Humble Fabulist 