Matisse by Matisse

As the largest solo exhibition by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) in China to date, this exhibition is presented by UCCA in collaboration with Musée Matisse Le Cateau-Cambrésis and features more than 200 works by the artist from the museum’s collection. It covers Matisse’s entire career and the full range of his practice, encompassing mediums including oil painting, sculpture, ink drawings, prints, cut-outs, illustrations, sketches, and textiles.

The exhibition is titled “Matisse by Matisse” with an intention to emphasize Matisse’s role as “curator” of the exhibition, as most of the works are from his personal collection, and the display of each artwork fully respects and references his wishes. “Matisse by Matisse” could thus be regarded as a unique artistic legacy left behind by the artist, exemplifying most directly and intimately his artistic practice, creative processes, and ideas about art.

The exhibition is organized into ten sections, following the chronology of Matisse’s life and career, and marked by his signature touches throughout. It includes his early copies of old masters and stylistic explorations as an art student; works representative of the artist’s turn towards Fauvism; and later, in the 1920 and 1930s, his study of the human body and portraiture through mediums such as sculpture, sketches, and prints. Other sections show the inspiration and influence of his 1930 trip to Tahiti; an iconic series of colorful oil paintings and ink drawings from the 1940s; the cut-outs, book illustrations, and textile works of his later years; and the artifacts, sketches, and models from his work on the chapel at Vence when he was almost in his eighties. An additional section organized by the curatorial team at UCCA will discuss Matisse and Fauvism’s influence on the modern painting movement in China from the 1920s to 1940s.