My Christies

From the Matisse Family Collections
contact our
Specialists

If you wish to contact the department regarding this sale or view the property in person, please send all enquiries to multiplesbymatisse@christies.com . Viewings are available by appointment only. Please give 48 hours advance notice to arrange an appointment to view at Rockefeller Center.

  • Richard Lloyd
    International Head of Department, Prints
    Matisse for me is the master of line. His lithographs are voluptuous, his etchings intimate and ethereal, but above all it is the sheer beauty and confidence of his draughtsmanship that marks him out as a true genius. He himself saw printmaking as an extension of his drawing, and his drawing as central to his art. A print by Matisse is a direct link to one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
  • Adam McCoy
    Associate Vice President, Specialist
    Henri Matisse’s art is seminal to the history of modern art. It is an honor to be allowed to work with such an important collection.
  • Libia Elena Nahas
    Associate Specialist
    Matisse was a prolific and passionate painter, sculptor and printmaker, but he was also playful and imaginative: "I wouldn't mind turning into a vermilion goldfish."
  • Conner Williams
    Junior Specialist
    Matisse idealized the features of few models, as he did with Lydia Delectorskaya in the sinuous and sculptural drypoint ‘Fée au Chapeau de clarté’, Souvenir du ‘Mallarmé’ (Fairy in a Luminous Hat, Souvenir of Mallarmé). Lydia served as Matisse’s main model and muse as well as studio manager for much of his career; he admiringly called her the ‘ice princess’.
  • Lindsay Griffith
    Junior Specialist
    While I certainly find Matisse’s prints of women to be classically beautiful, my favorite Matisse images are his depictions of the natural world. I enjoy that in these prints there is the same loving sense of attention to detail found in the curves of his leaves as in the flesh of his models.
  • Alison Kain
    Administrator
    We can really document his journey through this sale – we can feel his influence of nature, of his travels, and of his companions. While he was a master of technique, his etchings really stand out for me. It’s beautiful how he captures lush subjects with such a simple line.