The ”la Caixa” Foundation and the Centre Pompidou have organized the exhibition Chez Matisse, an exhibition that traces the French painter’s career through nearly a hundred works. The collection includes 45 original works by Matisse and 49 works by other artists, allowing for a mapping of the reciprocal influences between the artist and the avant-garde movements of the 20th century.
The exhibition is divided into eight chronological sections. The tour begins with his early works under the tutelage of Gustave Moreau and moves toward the emergence of Fauvism, a period in which color abandoned its descriptive function to structure form autonomously.
Starting in the 1940s, Matisse replaced the brush with scissors. In this final phase, the artist used cut-out paper to work directly on the chromatic material, a technique that reached its peak in works such as the prints from the Jazz series.
The exhibition establishes a direct connection between Matisse and figures such as Picasso, Braque, and Sonia Delaunay. This comparison highlighted the French artist’s influence on movements such as German Expressionism, Russian Neo-Primitivism, and American abstraction in subsequent decades.
Among the highlights was *Luxe, calme et volupté*, a work in which the fragmentation of color foreshadowed the foundations of modern painting. The cultural center will be open Monday through Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with a general admission fee of 6 euros.
