Lot 128
  • 128

Henri Matisse

Estimate
380,000 - 550,000 GBP
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Description

  • Henri Matisse
  • Jazz 
  • The complete portfolio, comprising 20 pochoirs printed in colours, after collages and cut out paper designs, signed in pencil on the justification, stamp-numbered 50, from the edition of 100 (there was also a book edition of 250), with the table of images, on Arches wove paper, published by Tériade éditeur, Paris, with the original grey paper-covered portfolio, the colour pochoirs framed
  • 42 by 65cm.,16½ by 25 2/8 in (each sheet)
  • 66.7 by 44cm., 26¼ by 17 3/8 in. (overall)
signed H. Matisse and numbered 50 (on the justification)

The complete portfolio, comprising 20 pochoirs printed in colours, after collages and cut out paper designs, 1947, on Arches wove paper, with the justification, the table of images and the original grey paper-covered portfolio. Each colour pochoir framed.

Provenance

Acquired by the present owner in Paris before 2006

Literature

William S. Lieberman, Matisse: 50 Years of his Graphic Art, London, 1957, illustrated in colour pp. 129-135

Matisse: huiles gouaches découpées, dessin sculptures (exhibition catalogue), Galerie Beyelier Basel, Paris, 1972, illustrated in colour no. 43

Henri Matisse: Das illustrierte Werk Zeichungen und Druckgraphik (exhibition catalogue), Klipstein & Kornfeld, Bern, 1961, illustrated no. 14

Matisse: l’œuvre grave (exhibition catalogue), Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, 1970, illustrated in colour pp. 116-117

Claude Duthuit, Henri Matisse, Catalogue Raisonné, Paris, 1988, no. 22, illustrated in colour pp. 165-185

Le Maroc de Matisse (exhibition catalogue), Institut du Monde Arabe,  Paris, 2000, illustrated in colour p. 184

Isabelle Monod-Fontaine, Matisse: œuvres de Henri Matisse (1869-1954), Paris, 1979, no. 61, illustrated in colour pp. 169-172

John Elderfield, Henri Matisse A Retrospective, London, 1992, no. 357-367, illustrated in colour pp. 423-428

Matisse (exhibition catalogue), Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, 1995, no. 210-229. illustrated in colour pp. 265-271

Pia Müller-Tamm (ed.), Henri Matisse: Figure Color Space, 2005, no. 193,  illustrated in colour p. 272

Condition

A complete set of 20 pochoirs executed on Arches wove paper. The full sheets (a deckle edge at each side), in good condition apart from occasional minor scuffing (mainly in the black and blue areas), some sheets slightly toned, occasional minute fox marks recto and further pale scattered fox marks verso, occasional soft creases (mainly visible in the unprinted areas, sheet edges and corners), plates V and VII with traces of minor surface soiling, plate V also with a tiny fibre accretion in the blue at lower left (probably inherent to production), each pochoir framed. The portfolio with minor surface scuffs, areas of soiling and showing natural wear. This work is in overall good condition. Contact the department for details of the imperfections on the individual sheets.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Number 50 from the edition of 100 (there was also a book edition of 250), published by Tériade Editeur, Paris.

The combination of bright colours and spontaneous subject matter evoke a joie de vivre that makes Jazz stand out as one of the most beautiful, ground-breaking and personal artist’s books of the 20th century. In the 1940s, while living in Vence, with his health ailing, Matisse was unable to paint or draw as freely as he once had.  As a result he returned to the cut-out technique he had developed years earlier during the creation of his celebrated mural for the Barnes Foundation. ‘Drawing with scissors’, as Matisse called it, he used only a large pair of shears and gouache-painted paper to create maquettes for the seminal illustrated book Jazz in 1947. His publisher, Tériade, had been suggesting that Matisse do an album of cut-outs since 1940, following his two successful cut-out designs for covers of the review Verve. Although originally apprehensive about the project, by 1943 Matisse’s perception of his cut-outs had changed. No longer were they as seen a means to an end, but as a new medium unto themselves. This began a new chapter of Matisse’s artistic output that would define his later career.

With titles including The Clown, The Sword Swallower, Icarus, and Toboggan, it is apparent that the subject matter of Jazz drew inspiration from an array of sources, such as folktales and the circus. In fact the series was once set to be titled Le Cirque. Tériade later suggested the title Jazz, which, although unrelated to the subject matter, Matisse welcomed for the connection it implied between art and musical improvisation.  This title also echoed Matisse’s artistic practice of constantly improvising with scissors to create new and unusual shapes, that when placed together took on a whole new visual meaning much like the individual parts of a jazz band.  ‘The term more probably refers to a more nebulous complex of ideas, from the rhythm of modern life to a specific existential feeling, both vital and free as well as aggressive and dangerous, constantly alternating between risk and success, mischance and luck’ (O. Berggruen and M. Hollein, Henri Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, Munich, 2002, p. 24.) The portfolio was a resounding success when first shown publicly at Pierre Berès’ Paris bookshop in December 1947.