Printer: Mourlot (1 of 700)

Dimensions: 76 x 53 cm

Condition: Very good 

Available: Sold

Description: This exhibition poster was designed by Matisse and printed at the Mourlot Studios on rare Arches paper for the ‘EXPO 50 House of French Thought’ in 1950. Matisse used one of his abstract cut-out collages of a timeless woman’s face and added his own hand-written text in cut-out letters. ‘His bold use of flat areas of black and yellow on a white background creates depth and drama in an overpowering composition… He has used colour in the manner of the Japanese printmakers, to construct his areas and to endow his work with solidity and force.’ [JKF The Posters of Picasso p.18]

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.