Christie Chu
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Matisse: The Cut-Outs has landed in New York City’s Museum of Modern Art this fall after a successful showing at London’s Tate Modern (see “Matisse Show Attracts 562,622 Visitors to Tate Modern”).
In his late sixties, Henri Matisse turned almost exclusively to cut paper as his primary medium as his health prevented him from painting. The artist would cut out varying shapes—from vegetal to the abstract—and in different hues, which he would then arrange into animated compositions.
At first, his cut-out works were of modest size, but over time the scope and depth of his pieces grew, expanding into mural-sized works that could fill an entire room.
This exhibition, the largest and most extensive presentation of cut-outs ever mounted, will showcase more than 100 cut-outs—borrowed from public and private collections around the world—situated alongside related drawings, prints, illustrations, and textiles.
The Tate Modern’s show of Matisse’s cut-outs focused on the relation of his cut-outs to his paintings, whereas the MoMA’s show will focus on their relation to his drawings. (See “Matisse Cut-Outs at Tate Modern Rewrite Art History.”)
The MoMA’s opening party will host a bevy (close to 1,000) of VIPs and the who’s who of the art world crowd. Although the show won’t open for a few more days, we’ve put together a slideshow above from its London stop’s highlights.
Matisse: The Cut-Outs will open October 12, 2014 through February 8, 2015.
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