Henri Matisse

Biography

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, renowned as one of the leading figures of modern art and the Fauvist movement. Born on December 31, 1869, in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France, he initially studied law before turning to art, enrolling at the Académie Julian in Paris. His bold use of color, innovative compositions, and expressive brushwork transformed 20th-century painting.

Matisse’s career was marked by experimentation across multiple media. His Fauvist works, such as Woman with a Hat (1905), emphasized vivid, non-naturalistic colors and simplified forms. Later, he explored sculpture, printmaking, and decorative arts. In the final decades of his life, limited by illness, he developed his famous cut-paper collages, known as gouaches découpées, including The Snail (1953) and the stained-glass designs for the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence.

Celebrated for his mastery of color, line, and form, Matisse influenced generations of artists and remains a central figure in modern art. He died on November 3, 1954, leaving a legacy of innovation, creativity, and enduring beauty.