MATISSE: The Essence of Line, Selected Prints: 1900-1950

Matisse: The Essence of Line is one of the first major surveys to take place in New York in many years. Both the exhibition and the catalogue have been greatly enhanced by two notable lenders to the New York venue.

First, I would like to extend our gratitude to Christophe Cherix, Chief Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for agreeing to lend the early and rare self-portrait of the artist working on a copper plate, Henri Matisse gravant (1900-03, no. 1).

I am also grateful for the assistance of Judy Hecker, Assistant Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, Katherine D. Alcauskas, Collection Specialist, Department of Drawings & Prints, Sydney Briggs, Associate Registrar, and Hope Cullinan, Senior Registrar Assistant at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

I am also deeply indebted to Nelson Blitz, Jr. and Catherine Woodard for lending two masterworks of printmaking, the woodcut Le Grand Bois (1906, no. 2) and the lithograph Grande odalisque à la culotte bayadère (1925, no. 49). This exhibition would not have been complete without these pivotal works.

This exhibition has been enriched by the collaboration with Marc Rosen and Susan Pinsky of Marc Rosen Fine Art Ltd., whose long association with the heirs of Henri M. Petiet has made it possible to acquire rare and important prints.

Also special thanks to Anne-Françoise Gavanon of Frederick Mulder Limited, London, and Peter Kraus and William Wyer of Ursus Books, New York, who have loaned important works to the exhibition.

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Andrea Fisher-Scherer, at Artist’s Rights Society (ARS), who acted as liaison with the Archives Matisse to coordinate all the necessary approvals and permissions. I would also like to extend our thanks to Georges Matisse and Wanda de Guébriant at the Archives Matisse.

I would like to thank Marilyn McCully for her essay and sharing her expertise and insights about Matisse and printmaking. McCully and Michael Raeburn after viewing the assembled collection of Matisse prints here in New York gave us the beautiful title, “The Essence of Line” for this catalogue and exhibition. They also jointly contributed to the organization and design of the catalogue, selected the documentary black-and-white photographs of Matisse as well as the quotations.

In addition, they collaborated on the informative chronology that accompanies this catalogue.

We extend our gratitude to them both for their excellent contributions and collaboration.

I also wish to thank Sarah Bertalan, paper conservator, who contributed the informative essay on paper, and explored Matisse’s use of paper in printmaking.