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HENRI MATISSE - "JAZZ" COMPLETE ARTIST BOOK
Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)
Jazz
Artist’s book with pochoir prints, text in French
Dimensions: 43 × 32 × 7 cm
Matisse’s Jazz is one of the most celebrated artist books of the 20th century, uniting vivid images and poetic reflections. Published in 1947 by Tériade, the work consists of twenty color stencil (pochoir) prints derived from Matisse’s paper cut-outs, accompanied by his handwritten text. The title evokes improvisation and rhythm, qualities that define both jazz music and Matisse’s late artistic style.
Created during a period of convalescence when the artist was largely confined to bed, the cut-outs offered Matisse a new way to “draw with scissors.” The resulting imagery—circus performers, acrobats, mythological figures—captures energy, movement, and joy, balanced by passages of personal meditation.
Jazz is not only a masterpiece of modern printmaking but also a deeply introspective work, blending color, form, and text into a unified expression of vitality and resilience.
Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)
Jazz
Artist’s book with pochoir prints, text in French
Dimensions: 43 × 32 × 7 cm
Matisse’s Jazz is one of the most celebrated artist books of the 20th century, uniting vivid images and poetic reflections. Published in 1947 by Tériade, the work consists of twenty color stencil (pochoir) prints derived from Matisse’s paper cut-outs, accompanied by his handwritten text. The title evokes improvisation and rhythm, qualities that define both jazz music and Matisse’s late artistic style.
Created during a period of convalescence when the artist was largely confined to bed, the cut-outs offered Matisse a new way to “draw with scissors.” The resulting imagery—circus performers, acrobats, mythological figures—captures energy, movement, and joy, balanced by passages of personal meditation.
Jazz is not only a masterpiece of modern printmaking but also a deeply introspective work, blending color, form, and text into a unified expression of vitality and resilience.
