Matisse–Metamorphoses

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) is adored worldwide as a revolutionary painter and loved for his collages, or papiers découpés, the icons of his late work. His work in painting and drawing for a long time overshadowed his achievements as a sculptor. Yet his Back Series, four bas-reliefs created between 1908 and 1930, are revered as a milestone in modern sculpture. Starting out from a naturalistic depiction, Matisse gradually transformed it to reach a radically abstracted figure. Each of the four original plaster casts represents a decisive moment of this artistic process.

This transformative process has parallels in Matisse’s painting and drawing. Published in conjunction with a major exhibition at Kunsthaus Zürich marking the artist’s 150th anniversary, this German language book is the first to explore the relation between metamorphosis and feedback in both main fields of the artist’s work. His diverse sources of inspiration for his sculptures—photographs of nudes, examples from African and ancient art—as well as photographs featuring Matisse at work as sculptor, round out this volume. It is a welcome addition to any art library, highlighting the lesser known side of this modern master.