Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse was a masterful draftsman, engraver, sculptor, and painter, known primarily for his imaginative use of color in painting and his original techniques. He was initially labeled as a Fauvist but later gained fame as a representative of the classical style of French painting. Alongside Picasso, he is considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

He studied law but began painting during a period when he was suffering from appendicitis and found a kind of “paradise” in painting. In 1891, he returned to Paris as a student of painting and became enthralled with the works of post-impressionists, particularly Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Signac, and also Japanese art.

After experimenting with Impressionism in his early years, he later chose a different path and became a leading figure of Fauvist painting. Henri Matisse was a master of the expressive language of color and drawing. His opus, spanning over half a century, earned him recognition as a leading figure in contemporary art.

Matisse died of a heart attack at the age of 84 on November 3, 1954. He is buried at the Monastère Notre Dame de Cimiez cemetery in the Cimiez neighborhood of Nice.