ArtCo Contemporary Fine Arts

Henri Emile Benoit Matisse is regarded by many as one of the greatest figures in modern art. He was born in December of 1869 in Le Cateau, France, the son of a middle class family. Matisse practiced law as a young man. In 1890, however, while recovering slowly from illness, his mother gave him a set of paints and he became intrigued by the practice of painting. Two years later he went to Paris to study art formally.

Like many avant-garde artists in Paris, Matisse was receptive to a broad range of influences, being one of the first painters to take an interest in ‘primitive’ art. He abandoned the palette of the impressionists and established his characteristic style, with its flat brilliant colour and fluid line. His subjects were primarily women, interiors and still lifes.

Matisse always emphasized the importance of an intuitive approach when creating a work of art. He argued that an artist did not have complete control over the outcome and that the process of creation was an organic one in which the artist became almost carried along and the work took on a life of its own. From the 1920s until his death he spent much time in the South of France, particularly Nice, painting local scenes with a thin, fluid application of bright colour. He also developed his ‘decoupage’ pieces – brilliantly coloured paper cutouts arranged casually, but with an unfailing eye for design, on a canvas surface. Matisse died in Nice on November 3, 1954. Unlike many artists, he was succesful during his lifetime, esteemed by critics and inspiring a younger generation of artists.

All the pieces in this exhibition are for sale. Whilst the ownership of an original painting is, for the majority of us, out of the question, his original prints made in comparatively small editions are still relatively accessible.

All the prints will be available to purchase on the opening day: 10.00am, Saturday January 20th.

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