Documentation
Curated by:
Sandra Gianfreda, conservateur Kunsthaus Zürich, Claudine Grammont, directrice du musée Matisse, Nice
Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is world-renowned as both a revolutionary painter and the inventor of the paper cut-outs. Far less known, however, is that he also modelled in clay and plaster. The four bronze bas-reliefs that make up Back I-IV are not only his most important creations in the medium but also milestones in modern sculpture. Starting out from a seemingly naturalistic approach, his figures progressed through increasing degrees of abstraction that culminated in radical stylisation. At the same time he captured the key ‘states’ as sculptures in their own right, laying bare the workings of his creative process.
There are parallels with this process of transformation in his paintings and drawings, and this book explores the relationship between this metamorphosis and its reciprocal effects for the first time. Matisse’s various sources of inspiration – nude photographas, originals from African art and Antiquity – as well as photographs showing the artist at word on his sculptures complete this volume that sheds light on a lesser-known side of the French master.
