Henri Matisse
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BiographyHenri Matisse, Patitcha. Masque (1947)
Henri Matisse, born in 1869 in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France, was a leading figure in the development of modern art in the early 20th century. Initially studying law, Matisse first encountered painting during a period of illness in 1889, marking the beginning of his artistic career. He moved to Paris in 1891 to study at the Académie Julian and later at the École des Beaux-Arts, where he honed his craft and developed a distinctively modern approach to artistic creation. Matisse’s early works bare a deep influence of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, particularly the colour theory of Paul Gauguin and the formal innovations of Paul Cézanne that favour the psychology of his subjects over their realistic rendering.
In 1905, Matisse became a central figure in the Fauvist movement, which rejected the muted tones of traditional academic painting in favour of vibrant, solid colouring. Although Fauvism as a movement was short-lived, it had a lasting impact on Matisse, who continued to explore the expressive potential of colour throughout his career.
Matisse’s stylistic evolution is marked by an increasing emphasis on simplification and abstraction. In the 1910s, he began to focus more on the structural aspects of form, where colour and shape are used to create dynamic compositions that evoke movement and rhythm. His work during this period sought to remove superfluous detail and aimed, through colour and form, for a purity of expression.
In the 1940s, Matisse's health began to decline, but his creative output remained prolific. Forced to work from a wheelchair, Matisse developed his iconic cut-outs, where he used vibrant coloured paper to create abstract compositions of fluid forms.
Matisse’s influence on the course of modern art is immeasurable. His work profoundly impacted the development of abstraction and colour theory, and his innovative approach to capture form in his artworks continues to resonate with contemporary artists. Matisse’s legacy as a master of colour and composition endures, with his work housed in major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
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Timeline
1869 Born in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France to a wealthy family
1989 Studies law at College de Saint Quentin in France
1889 First encounters painting during a period of illness
1891 Moves to Paris
1896 Exhibits Woman Reading at Salon du Champ-de-Mars in Paris, garnering significant attention and success
1897 Exhibits The Dinner Table at the Paris Salon, but its experimental style that fuses Impressionism with Classical artistic tradition generates outrage
1899 Stops exhibiting work in the Paris Salon and begins focusing on art within the avant-garde artistic circles
1904 First solo exhibition
1905 Becomes a leading member of Fauvism
1910s Begins to investigate the structural aspects of art to make shape, form, and linework dynamic within his compositions
1905 Meets Picasso and they become both friends and rivals
1941-2 Undergoes a nearly fatal surgery for duodenal cancer resulting in his often being confined to his bed
Late 1940s Begins experimenting with paper cutouts, an artistic practice that will become the artist’s primary medium
1947 Publishes his limited-edition art book, Jazz, which offers a collection of his thoughts about life and creative pursuits, along with his paper cut out images
1950 Awarded first prize at the Venice Biennale
1954 Dies of a heart attack in his apartment in Nice, France -
Selected Exhibitions
1905 Salon d’Automne, Paris, France
1948 Matisse Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
1955 Henri Matisse: Sculptures, Paintings, Drawings, National Gallery of Canada, Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, Ottawa, Canada
1966 Henri Matisse: 64 Paintings, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
1971 Matisse as a Draughtsman, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
1978 Henri Matisse: Paper Cut-Outs, Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis, MI
1988 Henri Matisse. Pintures i dibuixos dels Museus Puixkin de Moscou i l’Ermitage de Leningrad, Museo Picasso, Barcelona, Spain
1999 Henri Matisse. Fire store samlere, Köbenhavn Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen, Denmark
2010 Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
2012 Matisse: Pairs and Sets, Centre Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, France
2016 Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse, Royal Academy, London, UK
2017 Matisse in the Studio, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
2017 Matisse: Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Prints, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
2018 Henri Matisse: Prints, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
2018 Matisse et Picasso, La Comédie du Modèle, Musée Matisse, Nice, France
2023 La Répétition, Centre Pompidou-Metz, Paris, France
2024 8 Golden Square: Group Show, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
2024 Summer Show, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
2024 Pools on Paper, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
2024 Henri Matisse - Prints, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
2024 Braque, Matisse, Picasso: Prints, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
2025 Summer Show, Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, UK
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Works
Henri Matisse
La Belle Tahitienne, 1938Linocut on G. Maillol paperPaper size: 60.5 x 40.5 cms (23 3/4 x 15 7/8 ins)
Image size: 28 x 19.8 cms (11 x 7 3/4 ins)Edition of 25Exhibitions
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Henri Matisse: Goldfish Bowls and Other Prints
London Original Print Week 1 - 28 May 2021 -
Prints I wish I had published
11 January - 9 February 2019In 1969 Bernard Jacobson opened his first London gallery – a fourth-floor walk-up on Mount Street, Mayfair, dealing in prints by international stars, including Andy Warhol and Claes Oldenburg, as... -
Some of the artists I have worked for
10 September - 5 October 2019To end the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the gallery, we are delighted to introduce a selection of works by the artists that helped shaping its success. -
Henri Matisse: Prints
6 July - 15 September 2018Bernard Jacobson Gallery is delighted to announce a wide ranging exhibition featuring more than 60 rare and important works from the Gallery’s comprehensive collection of Henri Matisse prints, currently the... -
Henri Matisse: Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Prints
2 June - 23 October 2017Bernard Jacobson Gallery is delighted to announce Henri Matisse: Painting, Sculpture, Drawing, Prints, an exhibition of more than a dozen of original works by one of the greatest masters of... -
Bonheur de Vivre
18 March - 27 May 2016Bonheur de Vivre is the result of long-held desire by Bernard Jacobson to present work by some of the great artists who have particularly inspired and sustained his own love... -
Mixed Show
10 - 30 November 2022Bernard Jacobson Gallery presents a mixed show of gallery artists. Artists include Ivor Abrahams, Georges Braque, Paul Cézanne, Robyn Denny, Sam Francis, John Hoyland, Henri Matisse, Bruce McLean, Henry Moore,...
Art Fairs
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The Armory Show
8 - 11 March 2012 -
Art Basel | Basel
14 - 17 June 2012 -
Frieze Masters
17 - 20 October 2013 -
IFPDA Fine Art Print Fair
4 - 8 November 2015 -
EXPO CHICAGO
20 - 23 September 2012 -
Frieze New York
5 - 7 May 2017 -
London Original Print Fair
3 - 6 May 2018View Artsy Fair Booth -
Draw Art Fair London
17 - 19 May 2019View Artsy Fair Booth
Publications
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Henri Matisse: Life and Joy
Exhibition catalogue of the exhibition Henri Matisse: Life and Joy, held at the Hangaram Museum, Seoul, South Korea, December 2021 - April 2022. Introduction by Benjamin Genocchio. ISBN: 979-11-976801-0-6 -
Some of the artists I have worked for
Published on occasion of the homonymous exhibition held at Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London, 10 September - 5 October 2019 -
Henri Matisse: Prints
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Bonheur de Vivre
