Matisse In The Studio

Description

Published to accompany the Royal Academy exhibition 'Matisse in the Studio', this book is the first in English to explore the essential role that Henri Matisse's personal collection of objects played in his studio practice. Featured frequently in the modern master's bold paintings, drawings, and cut-outs, and influencing the development of his work in sculpture, Matisse's objects formed a secret history hiding in plain sight. Works that span the artist's entire career are presented here alongside the objects that inspired them, from Asian vases and African masks to intricate textiles from the Islamic world. With lush illustrations and archival images, Matisse in the Studio provides exceptional insights into the world of the artist at work.

Reviews

I can think of no other exhibition that has told us so much about what artists do and how they think.--Eric Gibson "The Wall Street Journal " Matisse in the Studio ...focuses on the artist's relationship with his objects...-- a seaglass green vessel, a Congolese mask, North African tapestries -- paired with the paintings where they appear. The result is a heightened sense of intimacy with his already sensual, summery paintings, and gives a glimpse into the studio -- and mental -- space of the artist.--Nina Maclaughlin "Boston Globe " As the same rotating cast of inanimate characters appears again and again in the paintings, we realize that what we are seeing is a memory play, a chronicle of the interaction over time between objects and owner.--John Dorfman "Art & Antiques " ...Matisse loved beautiful, well-designed objects and had collected more than 200 by his death in 1954... they served him as visual references that opened his mind to new possibilities in seeing and creating.--Debbie Hagan "Hyperallergic "

Author description

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a painter, draftsman, sculptor and printmaker before turning to paper cut-outs in the 1940s. He followed a career-long path that he described as -construction by means of color.-