Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was born in France. He intended to study law, but during recovery from an illness began to paint, and decided to study art formally. He worked in Paris with Bougereau at the Beaux-Arts, and developed as a neo-Impressionist, later becoming a leader of the Fauve movement. By 1918 he had an international reputation, and besides paintings and line drawings, was commissioned to do book illustrations, ballet sets, and murals. His last major work was the complete decoration (furniture, murals, stained glass, and vestments) of the Dominican Chapel in Venice. Prints of Mattise’s work such as “Blue Nude” are always in stock here at NZ’s largest art print store.