11 things to know about Henri Matisse

Matisse was born in northern France in 1869 and originally studied law. It wasn’t until a bout of appendicitis in his early twenties, when his mother brought him art supplies during recovery, that he discovered painting. The experience was transformative. ‘From the moment I held the box of colours in my hands, I had the feeling my life was in there’, he later recalled. He soon abandoned law to pursue art full-time, enrolling at the Académie Julian in Paris.

Along with André Derain, Matisse is often described as the leader of Fauvism, a short-lived but influential movement known for its wild brushwork and expressive use of colour. When his painting Woman with a Hat debuted at the 1905 Salon d'Automne, critics derided it as savage and childlike. One called the artists ‘fauves’ (wild beasts) — and the name stuck. Today, these vibrant works are celebrated as groundbreaking. They marked a decisive shift away from naturalism and toward a more emotionally charged visual language.

Matisse and Pablo Picasso were introduced in 1906 by Gertrude Stein, and their artistic relationship became one of the most productive rivalries in art history. The two men admired, critiqued and occasionally borrowed from each other. Where Picasso leaned toward angular forms and intellectual intensity, Matisse pursued harmony, colour and sensuality. Matisse once said, ‘Only one person has the right to criticise me. It’s Picasso’.

Matisse often painted his family and friends, but it’s his portraits of women that remain most iconic. These were not conventional likenesses but stylised, often dreamlike images that fused pattern, line and colour. Many were set in richly decorated domestic interiors filled with textiles, plants and ornaments, such as Odalisque couchée aux magnolias or Odalisque à la culotte rouge. These works are now among the most sought-after by collectors.

Matisse's process was both observational and intuitive. He frequently worked with models and often sketched from life, but many of his compositions evolved through memory and improvisation. He was known for making dozens of preparatory drawings for a single canvas, refining the balance of form and colour over time. ‘What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject matter’, he once said.

A 1912 trip to Tangier had a profound impact on Matisse’s palette and motifs. The light, architecture and decorative arts of North Africa reinforced his interest in pattern and abstraction. Later, his move to the French Riviera gave rise to some of his most radiant works, including the ‘Nice period’ interiors and his late cut-outs. Sunlight, sea and local ornament all became key elements in his evolving style.

After major surgery in 1941, Matisse was largely confined to a wheelchair. Yet his productivity increased. Assisted by studio aides, he began cutting out coloured paper shapes and arranging them into compositions on the walls of his home. This process, which he called ‘painting with scissors’, resulted in some of the most celebrated works of his career — such as Blue Nude II and The Snail. Cut-outs from this period now command exceptional interest at auction and have been the subject of blockbuster exhibitions around the world.

In 1947, Matisse innovated by combining his cut-out technique with pochoirs (stencil prints) to create Jazz, a landmark artist book. This work blended vibrant, abstract shapes with handwritten text, treating the book as a dynamic artwork rather than just a printed volume. Jazz broke new ground in printmaking by merging colour, form and narrative, influencing generations of artists and expanding the possibilities of the artist book.

Matisse undertook a deeply personal commission in 1948: designing the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, southern France. Completed in 1951, it included everything from the stained-glass windows to the priest’s vestments, all in his unmistakable hand. Despite being designed by a lifelong agnostic, the chapel is widely considered a spiritual masterpiece. Matisse himself called it ‘the result of my entire working life’.

Beyond his own prolific output, Matisse played a crucial role as a teacher and mentor. His emphasis on colour, freedom of expression and form deeply influenced younger artists both in Europe and the United States. Notable followers include American Abstract Expressionists like Lee Krasner and Helen Frankenthaler, who absorbed his vibrant palette and fluid style. Additionally, artists such as Mark Rothko and Joan Mitchell acknowledged the impact of Matisse’s approach to colour and composition on their own work.

Henri Matisse died on 3 November 1954 at his home in Nice, after a period of declining health. Even in his final years, he continued to produce work of striking originality. After his death, Picasso paid tribute with his Les Femmes d’Alger series, a deliberate engagement with one of Matisse’s signature subjects and a final continuation of their decades-long artistic dialogue.