Matisse Picasso

by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Anne Baldassari

Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso have long been seen as the twin giants of modern art, as polar opposites but also as complementary figures. Between them they are the originators of many of the most significant innovations of 20th-century painting and sculpture, but their relationship has rarely been explored in all of its closeness and complexity. In spite of their initial rivalry, the two masters eventually acknowledged one another as equals, becoming, in their old age, increasingly important to one another both artistically and personally. From the time of their initial encounters in 1906 in Gertrude and Leo Stein's Paris studio until 1917, they individually produced some of the greatest art of the 20th century and maintained an openly competitive relationship brimming with intense innovation. This period saw them create such works as Picasso's majestic "Woman with a Fan" of 1908 and Matisse's great portrait of his wife of 1913. Matisse responds to Synthetic Cubism in his "Piano Lesson" of 1916 and Picasso comes back in turn with a new, more decorative Cubism in "Three Musicians" of 1921. The 20s saw them grow apart, as Matisse moved from Paris to Nice and Picasso became involved with the Surrealists, but the 30s brought them together again, through their sheer fame and devotion to reality-based art. Their story continues until Matisse's death in 1954, when Picasso paid his friend and colleague tribute in his series Women of Algiers , of which he said, "When Matisse died, he left his odalisques to me as a legacy." Matisse Picasso presents the artists' oeuvres in groupings that reveal the affinities but also the extreme contrasts of their artistic visions. Published to accompany the landmark exhibition, a joint effort of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Tate Modern, London; the Raunion des musaes nationaux/Musae Picasso and the Musae national d'art moderne/Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Matisse Picasso is the first major examination of the fascinating relationships between their art, their careers, and their lives. Thirty-four essays, each by a member of the exhibition's curatorial team, focus on a particular moment in the artists' evolving relationship. The authors present in-depth analyses of specific aspects of the unique artistic dialogue between Matisse and Picasso as reflected in selected juxtapositions of each artist's works. These texts are accompanied by an introductory history, commentary on the public perception of important artistic relationships, and an extensive chronology.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art and Photography

368 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2002

About the author

Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid, brilliant and original draughtsmanship. As a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but principally as a painter, Matisse is one of the best-known artists of the 20th century. Although he was initially labeled as a Fauve (wild beast), by the 1920s, he was increasingly hailed as an upholder of the classical tradition in French painting. His mastery of the expressive language of colour and drawing, displayed in a body of work spanning over a half-century, won him recognition as a leading figure in modern art.

Reviews

[Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge and beautiful catalog from a New York show of these two artists in 2003. A fine summary quote taken from The London Times at the time of the Frenchmen's death in 1954 (on page 390 of this large book) is worth pondering: "Matisse painted the pleasures of life, rather than its pains. He was French, a moderate, not Spanish and an extremist like Picasso." This is a luscious, coffee-table book with some fabulous art from the two most important visual artists of the 20th century. Enjoy!

[Authentikate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Often explored rivalry between two critical post-impressionist artists. Cross influence examined. Thoughtful.

[Rebecca SC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this exhibit when it first came to the United States, and I was blown away by the fact that two artists I knew relatively intimately from studying their work for years... actually had a documented conversation with each other through their work. This exhibit was the first that I had seen to clearly demonstrate the influence each artist had on the other, and how much mutual respect there was. Amazing!