Undressed: A study of Louise Henderson’s ‘Les Deux Amies’ (1953)

This article takes an in-depth look at Louise Henderson’s cubist-inspired painting Les Deux Amies (1953), which she painted upon her return to New Zealand after a year studying in Paris with cubist artist Jean Metzinger. Using a combination of formal analysis, infrared imaging and a study of her materials, we go beneath the surface of the painting to find new insights into the creation of this important work, which helped introduce European modernism to the conservative local art scene. In particular, this paper argues that “undressing” the figures in Les Deux Amies reveals a rich, hidden record of how Henderson worked through key questions about material construction, subject matter and composition at a crucial moment in her artistic career.