Taschen unveils Henri Matisse's 'Cut-outs. Drawing With Scissors'
A look at the revolutionary late-period work by the artist
Unable to stand and use a paintbrush towards the end of his monumental career, the elderly and sick Matisse developed a new technique of 'carving into colour', creating vibrant and bold paper cut-outs which expressed who he was at almost 80 years old.
Although the new art form was dismissed by some contemporary critics, Matisse's gouaches decoupees (gouache cut-outs) symbolised a revolution in modern art as he created an entirely new medium that re-worked the age-old artistic conflict between colour and shape.
Documenting these beautiful works, Taschen has now released a fresh edition of its original prize-winning XL volume which provides a thorough historical context to Matisse's colourful cut-outs, as Henri Matisse 'Cut-outs. Drawing With Scissors traces them back from his trip to Tahiti in 1930 to his final years in Nice.
The book also includes rare images by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassai and the filmmaker Murnau, as well as text from Matisse himself, Picasso, published E.Teriade, and a handful of poets from Louis Argon to Pierre Reverdy.
