Matisse On Art

The major writings of Henri Matisse (1869-1954), with the exception of the letters, are collected here along with transcriptions of important interviews and broadcasts given at various stages of Matisse's career. Jack Flam provides a biography, a general introduction that addresses the development of Matisse's aesthetic values and theories, and a critical introduction for each text. "This book is utterly indispensable to an understanding of Matisse, and therefore of early modernism as well. The original edition transformed Matisse studies by making broadly accessible as never before this great artist's writings, interviews, and other statements on the purposes of his work. This new, revised edition, with its additional texts, sharpened translations, and new annotations, will prove even more essential—as both a work of reference and as an engrossing, highly accessible introduction to the depth and diversity of Matisse's thought." —John Elderfield, Chief Curator at Large, The Museum of Modern Art, New York "Flam has edited Matisse . . . with close translation (thank God), admirable editorial introductions, and detailed notes to the forty-four brief pieces from forty-seven years." —Robert Motherwell, New York Times Book Review "The publication of this anthology of forty-four of Matisse's 'writings' on art is long overdue and should prove to be an extremely useful and popular addition to the growing documentary literature of twentieth-century art." —John Hallmark Neff, Burlington Magazine The major writings of Henri Matisse (1869-1954), with the exception of the letters, are collected here along with transcriptions of important interviews and broadcasts given at various stages of Matisse's career. Jack Flam provides a biography, a general introduction that addresses the development of Matisse's aesthetic values and theories, and a critical introduction for each text.