Matisse: The Books

The livre dartiste, or artist's book , is among the most prized in rare book collections. Henri Matisse (1869 1954) was one of the greatest artists to work in this genre, creating his most important books over a period of eighteen years from 1932 to 1950 a time of personal upheaval and physical suffering, as well as conflict and occupation for France. Brimming with powerful themes and imagery, these works are crucial to an understanding of Matisse s oeuvre, yet much of their content has never been seen by a wider audience.In Matisse: The Books, Louise Rogers Lalaurie reintroduces us to Matisse by considering how in each of eight limited-edition volumes, the artist constructs an intriguing dialogue between word and image. She also highlights the books profound significance for Matisse as the catalysts for the extraordinary second life of his paper cut-outs. In concert with an eclectic selection of poetry, drama and, tantalizingly, Matisse s own words, the books images offer an astonishing portrait of creative resistance and regeneration.Matisse s books contain some of the artist s best-known graphic works the magnificent, belligerent swan from the Poesies de Stephane Mallarme, or the vigorous linocut profile from Pasiphae (1944), reversed in...