Henri Matisse had a taste for objects from faraway lands. He traveled to Morocco, Russia, and Tahiti, returning to his studio with Islamic ceramics, Romanian embroideries, Yoruba masks, and all manner of objects that would eventually find their way into his paintings. A new exhibition at Milan’s MUDEC traces how these encounters shaped his unmistakable style. It brings together approximately 100 works on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, MoMA, the Musée d’Orsay, and other major institutions, and also includes pieces from Matisse’s personal collection, photographs he took in Morocco, and elements from the Chapel of the Rosary, in Vence, the masterpiece he completed toward the end of his life. —Elena Clavarino