Matisse: the evocative works of the great travelling artist on display at Mudec

Andalusia, Morocco, Russia, Tahiti: Henry Matisse’s passport was a kaleidoscope of colours, just like his syncretic artistic vision, which drew deeply on his many travels. For his quest was tireless, fuelled by objects from Africa – particularly its sculptures – as well as Islamic art and Japanese artefacts, and Chinese teachings. All this came together in a unique synthesis, centred on the multisensory reworking that took place in his studio – a twentieth-century forge of a new Hephaestus – which served as his creative hub.

And his work posed a genuine challenge to Western tradition, which inevitably found itself confronted by him on the subject of experience, despite the prevailing emphasis on mimesis, established canons and perspective.

Divided into eight sections, the exhibition – organised in accordance with a meticulous philological analysis – brings together around 100 works, including paintings, works on paper, sculptures and photographs, from the most prestigious international institutions, alongside a varied collection of artefacts, objects that shed light on the rich tapestry of inspirations and reflections woven by Matisse, alongside artefacts from the places he travelled to, which, in various ways, proved decisive in the evolution of his artistic vision. Not to be missed are the sections dedicated to the celebrated ‘Jazz’ prints, published by Tériade, and the one dedicated to the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, on the Côte d’Azur.

“Throughout his life,” says curator Chiara Gatti, “Matisse collected – during his travels – a vast array of objects, fabrics, carpets and even utensils, which became a daily source of inspiration. He observed the decorative motifs found within these objects and reinterpreted them in a new form, above all shaping his new artistic language. A language composed of arabesques, colours and flat shapes, as taught to him by the Chinese and Japanese masters.”

The curator goes on to add: “In the case of the Turkish caftan on display, he features it several times on his models. Very often, these objects blend harmoniously within the same painting, the same engraving, the same drawing, in a sort of circular and harmonious culture, without boundaries or barriers”.