A pioneer of Fauvism, Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is one of the most important artists of Classical Modernism. Suffering from bronchitis, he moved from Paris to Nice on the Mediterranean coast in 1916, where he had a creative crisis. Contemporary critics bemoaned the lack of experimentation in his new works. In 1930 came the turning point: Matisse received the commission for the three-part mural Dance, for which he used a new process: He assembled the painting from cut-out pieces of coloured paper. Building on this, Matisse's late work is characterised by papercuts, which represent the high point of his artistic career.
Matisse in the 1930s is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from 19 October to 28 January. 143 exhibits, gathered from public and private collections, chronologically trace Matisse's development in his 60s. Rarely shown photographs and film footage round off the presentation.
