Printer: G&B Arts Ltd

Dimensions: 76 x 51 cm

Condition: Very good 

Frame: Oak

Description: Tériade was one of the most influential art publishers of the twentieth century, although his name is far less familiar than the artists he worked alongside. Born Stratis Eleftheriades in Greece, he collaborated with Picasso, Chagall, Miró and Matisse, encouraging them to create some of the finest illustrated books ever produced.

This exhibition poster was published for the Royal Academy of Arts’ 1975 tribute to Tériade in London. The image is The Sword Swallower (L’Avaleur de sabres), taken from Matisse’s Jazz (1947), widely regarded as one of the greatest artist’s books of the twentieth century. Matisse’s bold paper cutouts and Tériade’s insistence on the very highest standards of printing combined to produce a book that changed expectations of what an illustrated publication could be.

Matisse had been dead for more than twenty years when this exhibition took place, but the partnership between artist and publisher still stood as one of the defining collaborations of modern art. The poster is a reminder that some of the greatest works on paper owe as much to inspired publishers as they do to the artists themselves.

Artist: Henri Matisse (1869-1954) the French artist, draughtsman, printmaker, sculptor and painter was one of the undisputed masters and influential artists of 20th century art. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and would quickly become the leader of the fauvist movement. He was known for his use of brilliant colour, inspired by his time on the French Riviera, and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was one of the three artists, along with Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, who began to revolutionise the artworld from the 1900s. For over 60 years, his vast output included painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic arts – etchings, linocuts, aquatints, paper cut-outs and book illustrations. And he worked with Mourlot studios on lithographs and exhibition posters.