Matisse is known as both a master of line and of color, the first being acquired through teaching, the latter part of his inheritance. His great grandfather and his grandfather were weavers, and although his father took a different path, Matisse was brought up amongst the weavers in Bohain, a town known for its luxury textiles. As a child Matisse did not experience the work of painters but rather the rich patterns and colors of the textile trade.

This appreciation of pattern and style was coupled with the rigor of the drawing classes which he undertook at the Ecole Quentin de la Tour where the academic discipline of classical drawing was emphasized over all other artistic skills, no color just pure line. This fusion of pattern and style with line is a vital factor when considering the Master as Printmaker.

On November 19th nearly one hundred of Matisse’s prints will be offered in a single artist online only auction. Gathered from the collections of the artist’s descendants, they form a record of his entire output in the print media and show how his heritage and training were applied to the technical disciplines of lithography, etching, drypoint and woodcut.

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