Henri MATISSE 1869-1954

Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869, in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, into a family of weavers. Intended for a career as a notary's clerk, he discovered painting at the age of 20 during a prolonged convalescence and decided to devote himself to it fully. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he was influenced by Gustave Moreau, who encouraged him to simplify his painting.

Matisse would become one of the leaders of Fauvism, a movement that celebrated bright and expressive colors. His works, such as The Dance and The Joy of Living, mark this audacious period.

He traveled to North Africa, Polynesia, and the United States, enriching his art with exotic motifs and new forms of light.

In the 1940s, weakened by illness, he continued to draw and invented "gouache cutouts," an innovative technique that allowed him to create from his bed. His book Jazz (1947) and the decorations of the Rosary Chapel in Vence bear witness to his constantly renewed spiritual and aesthetic quest. Matisse died in Nice on November 3, 1954, leaving behind an immense body of work that would have a lasting influence on modern art.