The exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Exhibition and catalogue review
The exhibition Matisse in the Studio at the Royal Academy of Arts in London is on display until November 12, 2017. It “emphasizes European modernism’s global roots, celebrating the depth and variety of Matisse’s influences from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.”
The Royal Academy of Arts in London has already dedicated an important exhibition to the artist in 2005 entitled Matisse: His Art and His Textiles, The Fabric of Dreams.
The artistic output of Henri Matisse “relied on a broad range of studio objects, from African masks and Chinese porcelain to intricate textiles from the Islamic world. These works provided Matisse with key models for expression, which he used to question the assumptions of his own cultural traditions.” They may not always be the finest examples of their respective cultures, but they allowed him to develop and refine his own artistic language. The curators write that they intended the exhibition “to create a rich conversation that raises challenging questions about cultural appropriation.”
Through the contact with objects from other civilizations, cultures and geographical areas, Henri Matisse managed to “push his art beyond the boundaries of the European traditions.” His complex history of appropriation of for instance art of “African cultures colonized by the French … underlines the contemporary relevance of his work.”
If or in how far Henri Matisse “misrepresented the cultures that were the source of his inspirations” is another question the exhibition Matisse in the Studio raises (catalogue: Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.com).
Furthermore, the show continues a “multiculturalist” approach en vogue since the 1990s that has broadened our view of art and led to a more critical examination of some Western ideological assumptions.
According to the curators, the art of Henri Matisse is not only about color, design and abstraction, but also about racial, sexual and cultural differences. In addition, the exhibition emphasizes the “steadfastness” of the artist’s vision. Matisse indeed returned again and again to the same objects in his studio, “finding something new in each encounter.”
Matisse in the Studio concentrates on the intimate environment of the artist’s own living spaces. Nice was were the relationship between the artist, his objects and his models was the strongest, the former director of the Musée Matisse in Nice rightly writes in the catalogue. In addition, Marie-Thérèse Pulvenis de Seligny highlights the fact that “it was in Nice that Matisse introduced a dialogue between exteriors dominated by intense light and the interiors of his successive <hermitages>, the Hôtel Beau Rivage, and then the Hôtel de la Méditerranée with its light dimmed by wooden blinds and populated by objects and fabrics.” He later established himself at 1 place Charles Félix, where he rented apartments from 1921 until 1938, when he moved to Hôtel Régina, his last residence.
In 1963, roughly nine years after the artist’s death, the Matisse family decided to create the Musée Matisse in Nice near the Hôtel Régina. The family created an arrangement in which, to this day, objects may be displayed alongside works to which they are directly related. The same holds true for the 2017 London exhibition.
Located just a few meters from the Royal Academy of Art in London, the Bernard Jacobson Gallery is showing an additional, great Matisse exhibition with a total of 28 paintings, sculptures, drawings and prints for sale. You can purchase for instance the great oil painting L’artiste et le modèle nu from 1921, the pen and India ink on paper work Deux Portraits de Femme au Chapeau from 1930 or the lovely, small scale Le bonnet fleuri from 1929, a drypoint on Chine appliqué on Arches Velin paper work, made in an edition of 25. In other words, if you have deep pockets, just a few meters from the Royal Academy, you can purchase your personal Matisse.
On September 25, staff from Bernard Jacobson Gallery told me that their sales exhibition had been prolonged until early October, with the exact end remaining unclear.
Matisse in the Studio. Royal Academy of the Arts, London. Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, hardcover edition, 2017. Buy the hardcover catalogue from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.com. A softcover edition is available at the museum store.
Article added on September 26, 2017 at 16:02 London time. For privacy reasons, Bernard Jacobson Gallery prices removed at 16:37 London time. — Beauty items at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.
