The oasis of Matisse

This substantial new hardcover is published to accompany an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. Readers are transported through the museum's Matisse works--an array of Eastern nudes, colorful fabrics, carpets, potted plants and idyllic landscapes--plus a selection of additional paintings, sculptures and works on paper by the French master. At the heart of the exhibition is one of the most beloved works in the Stedelijk's collection: the monumental paper cut-out "The Parakeet and the Mermaid" (1952-53), presented with other Matisse cut-outs and rarely exhibited works in fabric and stained glass inspired by them. Arranged chronologically, the volume guides readers through Matisse's days in Paris, the birth of Fauvism, his representational work made in Nice, through to his work in Polynesia and Oceania. The Oasis of Matisse portrays the artist's output using contextualization with works by his contemporaries, offering a comprehensive overview of his influences. One of modern art's towering figures, Henri Matisse (1869-1954) was a painter, draftsman, sculptor and printmaker before turning to paper cut-outs in the 1940s. From the clashing hues of his Fauvist works made in the South of France in 1904-5, to the harmonies of his Nice interiors from the 1920s, to this brilliant final chapter, Matisse followed a career-long path that he described as "construction by means of color."