Chez Matisse: The Legacy of a New Painting Exhibition

Description

October 29, 2025 - February 22, 2026. An exploration of Matisse's trajectory, evolution, scope, and influence on international artists and avant-garde movements.

The exhibition highlights part of the immense dialogue surrounding his name in 20th- and 21st-century art, from his first self-portrait to the artistic freedom of his later paintings and gouaches.

"AN ARTIST SHOULD NEVER BE A PRISONER OF HIMSELF, A PRISONER OF HIS STYLE, A PRISONER OF HIS REPUTATION, A PRISONER OF HIS SUCCESS." HENRI MATISSE, JAZZ (1947).
The art of Henri Matisse reflects his entirely innovative conception of color, his critical reformulation of the painting as pure pictorial surface, and also his idea of ​​being "out of place" both emotionally and politically; that is to say, his way of expressing a break with established norms and the search for a new way of seeing and representing the world.

This exhibition presents a wide selection of works, mostly from the Centre Pompidou, where Matisse's pieces are displayed alongside those of other contemporary and later artists whom he influenced. It is divided into eight sections that trace his career and evolution, from the German Fauves and the Russian Neo-Primitivists to American painting from the 1940s onward.