Henri Matisse was deeply engaged with printmaking for over 50 years, producing more than 800 intaglios, lithographs, woodcuts, linocuts and monotypes. He approached printmaking as an extension of drawing, using it as a personal and spontaneous medium to complement his painting. Unlike many artists who relied on master printers, Matisse worked independently in his studio, experimenting freely. His etchings and drypoints, often small in scale, display a fluid, linear quality, while his lithographs explore tonal depth and volume. A highlight of Matisse's prints is Jazz (1947), a groundbreaking book of vibrant pochoir prints that embodies his late cut-out style. Focusing on portraits, nudes and odalisques, Matisse's prints reflect an intimate and expressive aspect of his artistic practice.
Browse related stories: Collecting guide: the life and art of Henri Matisse, The history of printmaking, from Albrecht Dürer to Edward Hopper, embodied in an exceptional collection
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
La Pompadour : one print
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Chinoise au visage de face
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Nu. Étude de torsion du corps
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Orientale sur lit de repos, sol de carreaux rouges
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Odalisque au magnolia
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Nu, jambe repliée - Étude de jambes
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Masque aigu
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Grand masque
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Nadia. Visage aux yeux obliques
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Trois têtes. A l'amitié : one print
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Visage sculptural
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Mlle Landsberg au long visage
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Figure assise, le bras droit appuyé sur une table
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Nymphe
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Figure voilée aux deux bracelets
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
La Persane
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Études pour la Vierge 'Visage': one print
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Martiniquaise : one print
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Martiniquaise : one print
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Bédouine au large visage
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Portrait de Lucienne Bernard : one print
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Étude pour la nappe liturgique de la Chapelle de Vence I
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Figure endormie dans un intérieur
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Intérieur au feuillage
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Claude, masque
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Martiniquaise : one print
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Portrait de Claude D.
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Marguerite III
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Nu pour Cleveland
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Charles Vildrac, Cinquante Dessins
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Henri Matisse, Dessins. Thèmes et Variations
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Marianna Alcaforado, Lettres
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Haïtienne au madras
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Océanie, la mer
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Océanie, le ciel
Henri Matisse (1869-1954)
Océanie, la mer
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Jazz , Tériade, Paris, 1947
Henri Matisse
Jazz (D.-M. books 22)
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Jazz , Tériade, Paris, 1947
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Jazz, Tériade, Paris, 1947
Henri Matisse
Jazz (D. books 22)
HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Jazz , Tériade, Paris, 1947
HENRI MATISSE
Jazz , Tériade, Paris, 1947 (D. books 22)
Henri Matisse
Grande Odalisque à la Culotte bayadère (D.-M. 455)