Matisse - Metamorphoses

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is adored worldwide as a revolutionary painter and loved for his collages, or papiers découpés, the icons of his late work. His paintings and drawings for a long time overshadowed his achievements as a sculptor. Yet his Back Series, four bas-reliefs showing a nude, created between 1908 and 1930, are widely recognised as a milestone in modern sculpture. Starting out from the naturalistic depiction, Matisse gradually transformed it to reach a radically abstracted figure. Each of the four original plaster casts represents a decisive moment of this artistic process. This transformative process has parallels in Matisse s painting and drawing. Published in conjunction with a major exhibition at Kunsthaus Zürich marking the artist s 150th anniversary, this is the first book to explore the relation between metamorphosis and feedback in both main fields of the artist s work. Documents of his diverse sources of inspiration for his sculptures - photographs of nudes, examples from African and ancient art - as well as images featuring Matisse at work as sculptor, round out this volume. It is a welcome addition to any art library, highlighting the lesser known side of this modern master. Published to coincide with the exhibitions Matisse - Metamorphoses at the Kunsthaus, Zürich between 30 August and 8 December 2019, and Musée Matisse , in Nice between 15 February and 15 May 2020.