Catalog / Henri Matisse / Figure and Ornament

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was fascinated by valuable fabrics and colorful patterns, breathtaking robes, carpets and everyday objects from the Middle East. The artist repeatedly visited Algeria and Morocco. In his studio, he staged his travel souvenirs into a fantastic world of images that served as a source of artistic inspiration. The interplay of figure and ornament determines the depiction of the odalisques, those harem ladies in their chambers or the female nudes surrounded by loose fabrics. The ornament is by no means just a decoration, but a central component of Matisse's pictorial logic. The volume combines top-class paintings, sculptures, drawings and graphics, provides insights into the studio and spans the period from the early 1920s to the late 1940s.

Edited by Markus Müller for the Pablo Picasso Art Museum in Münster
With contributions by Alexander Gaude, Ann-Katrin Hahn, Markus Müller and Marie-Thérèse Pulvenis de Seligny
195 pages, 170 illustrations, German, Wienand Verlag