Henri Matisse

Discover the artistic brilliance of Henri Matisse, one of the most ground-breaking figures in twentieth-century art history. Matisse's remarkable body of work encompasses an array of paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints that continue to captivate art enthusiasts worldwide.

Renowned for his extraordinary command of colour and line, Matisse's artistic style is characterized by flattened forms and intricate decorative patterns. His travels to North Africa profoundly influenced his work, exposing him to the rich cultural heritage of Moorish, Islamic, and African art.

Notably, a Matisse painting achieved a record-breaking price of $80.75 million at Christie's New York auction in May 2018, demonstrating the enduring allure of his masterpieces.

Explore the available collection of Henri Matisse art and immerse yourself in the vibrant and visionary world of this iconic artist.

Henri Matisse Biography

Henri Matisse, alongside friend and rival, Pablo Picasso, is commonly regarded as one of the most revolutionary figures in the history of twentieth century art. Born in Nice, Matisse spent much of his life in France amongst the local artistic milieu in Paris and the South of France. He is known for his mastery of expressive colour and line, reflected in his highly celebrated body of work that encompasses paintings, drawings, sculpture and prints.

Matisse’s early work is characterised by an intensity of colour, which brought him notoriety alongside André Derain as part of a movement critically dubbed as Fauvism. Whilst colour remained a touchstone throughout his career, Matisse went on to develop a rigorous style defined by emphasising flattened forms and decorative patterns, particularly inspired by his travels to North Africa where he encountered Moorish, Islamic and other African cultures.

Over the course of his life, Matisse collected many of the objects that would go onto inspire him and feature prominently in his artistic output. These were recently celebrated in the exhibition Matisse in the Studio at the Royal Academy, London, in 2017. Other notable recent exhibitions include the retrospective focussing on his late paper collages, held at the Tate Modern, London, and Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 2014. Matisse was also the subject of two major exhibitions in 2020, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. The record for a Matisse painting currently sits at $80.75 million, set at Christie’s New York in May 2018.