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Missing Matisse
Fiction. MISSING MATISSE is a novel with a puzzle, set in the contemporary world of art theft and the historical reality of World War II, France. The heart of the story is the enigmatic and complex Lydia Delectorskaya, a Russian orphan who became Matisse's muse, model, caregiver, administrator, and companion for twenty years. Lydia Delectorskaya is a fascinating figure, though little is known about her life after Matisse's death. Jan Rehner gives Lydia a voice, and pays tribute to her remarkable contribution to some of Matisse's greatest paintings.
- GenresFiction
264 pages, Paperback
First published May 15, 2011
25 people want to read
About the author
Jan Rehner
9 books5 followersJan Rehner has published poetry, literary criticism, a feminist analysis of infertility, and a text on critical thinking. Her novel, Just Murder, won the 2004 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel. Her second mystery, On Pain of Death, is set in France during World War II and was be published by Sumach Press in Fall, 2007. She lives in Toronto and teaches Professional and Academic writing at York University.
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (2004): Just Murder
Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best First Novel (2004): Just Murder
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 1, 2019
An entertaining yarn that set me researching paintings and the South of France.
April 17, 2011
Masterpieces vanished into the mists of time offer an endless source of speculation. Rumours have surrounded the prolific Matisse, especially since he and his works were swept up in the chaos of World War II, when collections were pillaged in every occupied country. The venerable painter, who refused to leave France, had many women “taking care” of him either as housekeepers, nurses, or models. The secrets which lie in their letters, diaries, and conversations led to the hypothesis of this charming and provocative book.
The multi-talented Jan Rehner, winner of the Arthur Ellis Best Canadian First Crime Novel in 2004 for her Just Murder and an IPPY award for On Pain of Death, turns her eye to the art world in this suspenseful novel. The initial nail-biting scene concerns a woman stalking a man on the streets of modern-day Toronto. He has something she wants desperately, and she’s not afraid to risk her reputation to get it.
Chloe Rea, herself an artist and teacher, covets a simple but stunning Matisse drawing, which she feels that her grandmother Sylvie posed for over half a century ago and which had belonged to her family before it disappeared, stolen or sold. She wears the same unique ring in that glorious depiction of a “Woman in a Blouse, Dreaming,” a cryptic name like those given to so many of Matisse’s oeuvres. Traditionally, he made many sketches which later became paintings. Could this be the case?
Her obsession leads her to befriend a handsome professional man equally as captivated by the enigma. Soon they become involved in a murder, which introduces them to shadowy characters who operate with their own rules. Even in quiet Toronto, forces at work behind the scenes baffle the police. A genuine Matisse with provenance could fetch forty million dollars at auction. The risks are worth the high stakes.
Soon Chloe finds herself in Europe, chasing down anyone who might have borne witness to Matisse’s final days or knew someone who did. On a hidden piece of paper, she has discovered mysterious initials which don’t seem to belong to the known players. Adam, her partner, also must deal with the fact that his brother might have been murdered over this masterpiece. Reality, dreams, nightmares. The couple is propelled forward by each tempting clue.
Dealing one smooth hand of cards after another in a mixed perspective, Rehner skilfully juxtaposes scenes from the past in Matisse’s busy household, forced to move just beyond the reach of the Nazis’ snares. Life is cheap in occupied France. Yet as the lights go out across Europe, the Underground holds the hope that the Allies will liberate the nation. But who can be trusted? People disappear, never to return. Only Matisse’s international reputation keeps him “safe” from prosecution. As France is overrun and the candles gutter, he paints on, ensuring his legacy.
Chloe moves closer to her goal in the present as the war accelerates in the past. But whether in modern day Paris or the sunny patios of Nice and its orange and olive groves in Cimiez, there is always time for a baguette and glass of wine. Fighting his mortality, Matisse’s paintings, drawings, and stained glass splash bright colour against the dark hues of the war. His model speaks poetry: “Cotton, soft as silk, caresses my skin. Embroidered threads of scarlet, sunflower yellow and black, against a background of snow white, dance across the sleeves and bodice of the blouse. It has become, I have become, a garden of delicate flowers and swirling leaves.”
The prose is as rich as the multi-layered plot and the book’s playful title. Everything is in the eye of the beholder, as Matisse says. “It’s better to risk ruining a likeness than compromising a painting. You have to move beyond surfaces and the shackles of convention.” The answers to the tantalizing identity of the model, the existence of the drawing’s oil double, and meaning of life itself reside in the brush of an old man squinting in the sun as he paints one perfect pear.
The multi-talented Jan Rehner, winner of the Arthur Ellis Best Canadian First Crime Novel in 2004 for her Just Murder and an IPPY award for On Pain of Death, turns her eye to the art world in this suspenseful novel. The initial nail-biting scene concerns a woman stalking a man on the streets of modern-day Toronto. He has something she wants desperately, and she’s not afraid to risk her reputation to get it.
Chloe Rea, herself an artist and teacher, covets a simple but stunning Matisse drawing, which she feels that her grandmother Sylvie posed for over half a century ago and which had belonged to her family before it disappeared, stolen or sold. She wears the same unique ring in that glorious depiction of a “Woman in a Blouse, Dreaming,” a cryptic name like those given to so many of Matisse’s oeuvres. Traditionally, he made many sketches which later became paintings. Could this be the case?
Her obsession leads her to befriend a handsome professional man equally as captivated by the enigma. Soon they become involved in a murder, which introduces them to shadowy characters who operate with their own rules. Even in quiet Toronto, forces at work behind the scenes baffle the police. A genuine Matisse with provenance could fetch forty million dollars at auction. The risks are worth the high stakes.
Soon Chloe finds herself in Europe, chasing down anyone who might have borne witness to Matisse’s final days or knew someone who did. On a hidden piece of paper, she has discovered mysterious initials which don’t seem to belong to the known players. Adam, her partner, also must deal with the fact that his brother might have been murdered over this masterpiece. Reality, dreams, nightmares. The couple is propelled forward by each tempting clue.
Dealing one smooth hand of cards after another in a mixed perspective, Rehner skilfully juxtaposes scenes from the past in Matisse’s busy household, forced to move just beyond the reach of the Nazis’ snares. Life is cheap in occupied France. Yet as the lights go out across Europe, the Underground holds the hope that the Allies will liberate the nation. But who can be trusted? People disappear, never to return. Only Matisse’s international reputation keeps him “safe” from prosecution. As France is overrun and the candles gutter, he paints on, ensuring his legacy.
Chloe moves closer to her goal in the present as the war accelerates in the past. But whether in modern day Paris or the sunny patios of Nice and its orange and olive groves in Cimiez, there is always time for a baguette and glass of wine. Fighting his mortality, Matisse’s paintings, drawings, and stained glass splash bright colour against the dark hues of the war. His model speaks poetry: “Cotton, soft as silk, caresses my skin. Embroidered threads of scarlet, sunflower yellow and black, against a background of snow white, dance across the sleeves and bodice of the blouse. It has become, I have become, a garden of delicate flowers and swirling leaves.”
The prose is as rich as the multi-layered plot and the book’s playful title. Everything is in the eye of the beholder, as Matisse says. “It’s better to risk ruining a likeness than compromising a painting. You have to move beyond surfaces and the shackles of convention.” The answers to the tantalizing identity of the model, the existence of the drawing’s oil double, and meaning of life itself reside in the brush of an old man squinting in the sun as he paints one perfect pear.
January 9, 2013
A story textured with events like a canvas layered with strokes of antipasto. The characters are vibrant like freshly squeezed gobs of paint. The details of the clues in the story are woven like hidden vignettes between contemporary time and the time of the second world war.
A missing painting and clues leaving an impossible trail for descendants of the actual historical figures and modern day thieves to follow. It is a race to see who will unravel the mystery first.
A book as compelling to read as an artist gripped by his muse and compelled to finish a painting alla prima.
For once I was actually wishing my flight was longer! Put this book down to enjoy the holidays and couldn't wait to get back to it.
A missing painting and clues leaving an impossible trail for descendants of the actual historical figures and modern day thieves to follow. It is a race to see who will unravel the mystery first.
A book as compelling to read as an artist gripped by his muse and compelled to finish a painting alla prima.
For once I was actually wishing my flight was longer! Put this book down to enjoy the holidays and couldn't wait to get back to it.
November 20, 2012
A friend gave me this book to read. The characters live in Toronto, and it is a mystery, which sounded like fun. The main character believes her grandmother modelled for Matisse, which was an interesting situation, and the mystery surrounds a painting of her that has gone missing (thus the title). But some of the 'past events' are revealed through diary entries which seemed to be slipped in awkwardly. That bugged me. Also, I didn't find the story or characters overly engaging, but it was an okay read, with okay writing and I'll be happy to pass it along to someone who enjoys mysteries.
July 13, 2011
Loved the writing style. Interesting information about Matisse, his paintings and cutouts, his friends, family and models, and good visualization of the war and it's impact. Also incorporates a mystery - a granddaughter of one of the models searches for a missing Matisse.
September 28, 2011
Nice read. Not mind-blowing, but satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews