In Baltimore for a little longer before moving to San Francisco, the show “Matisse/Diebenkorn” has 56 works by Diebenkorn and 36 by Matisse. The show follows Diebenkorn’s interest in Matisse:

He first saw a Matisse in 1943, and was hooked — over the years, traveling as far as Paris and St. Petersburg to view the older artist’s work. But Diebenkorn never sought to imitate Matisse.

“He felt very much that it was important to look to the past,” Rothkopf said. “And why would you not look at something that someone else had done? It didn’t mean that you were copying them, it just meant that they were inspiring you.”

Inspired by Matisse, Diebenkorn’s style constantly evolved. Both men produced abstract and figurative works — some with flattened, muted colors; others with vibrant, recognizable images.

Matisse and Diebenkorn, side by side  (CBS News)