Henri Matisse

Adam's Gallery is thrilled to unveil an exhibition featuring a preeminent artist of the 20th Century in Reigate.

Henri Matisse, born in 1869 in Northern France, abandoned his law studies in 1891 to embrace painting. In Paris, he briefly studied at the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts, where he absorbed new influences that steered him from Impressionism to a unique style marked by vivid color and fluid line, primarily focusing on women, interiors, and still lifes.

From the early 1920s until 1939, Matisse divided his time between Paris and the South of France. After undergoing two major surgeries in 1941 and 1942, he dedicated himself to 'papiers découpés' (paper cutouts), an innovative technique he had developed earlier, which gained significant influence. He was also one of the initial artists to delve into "primitive" art. Matisse died on November 3, 1954, in Nice.

The exhibition features works from the 1930s to the 1950s, presenting many of his renowned images, including the famous cutout series.