On display, over 300 works, arranged chronologically, many featuring international loans
Henri Matisse stands as one of the absolute titans of the early 20th-century avant-garde. We know him for his Fauve period, for the rhythmic vitality of The Dance, and for his Odalisques. Yet, between the 1940s and 1950s, in the twilight of his years, he underwent a decisive transformation.
Following a major surgery in 1941 that left him physically fragile at the age of 72, a second life opened up for the artist. This final phase represents a moment of absolute synthesis and liberation, where painting, drawing, illustrated books, textiles, and stained glass merged into a singular vision.
It was precisely from this state of fragility that Matisse developed one of the most radical innovations of his career: the technique of gouaches découpées. Through these cut-outs of tempera-painted paper, he completely redesigned his visual language.
This creative season is the focus of the exhibition "Matisse 1941–1954," running until July 26 at the Grand Palais. The show is co-produced by the Centre Pompidou as part of the Constellation program, which supports the museum’s temporary closure for renovation.
The exhibition brings together over 300 works, bolstered by significant international loans.
The exhibition path features seminal works such as la chute d'Icare (1943), taken from the Jazz album (1947)
The exhibition follows this evolution chronologically through fundamental milestones. La Chute d'Icare (1943), from the Jazz portfolio (1947), marks the beginning of his experimentation with découpage. The Vence Interiors (1946–1948)—paintings of the home where Matisse spent his final years—represent his farewell to traditional painting.
Works such as Zulma and Creole Dancer (1950) reintroduce the human figure into cut-out compositions, while The Parakeet and the Mermaid (1951) expands the decorative scale. The journey continues through 1953, the year of monumental masterpieces like The Snail, The Sheaf, Acanthuses, and Memory of Oceania.
The pinnacle of this era is the Chapel of the Rosary in Vence, conceived between 1948 and 1951 as a true Gesamtkunstwerk—a total work of art. In this project, Matisse took on the role of sole creator, designing the entire iconographic program, from the stained-glass windows and ceramic panels to the liturgical furniture and vestments, effectively transforming art into light.
As his physical strength waned, Matisse’s art seemed to find a newfound weightlessness, as if color were finally liberated from the constraints of matter. In his cut-outs and suspended hues, he achieved a form of absolute freedom at the end of his life.
It is this very lesson in freedom that The New York Times recognized upon his death in 1954, remembering him as “one of the young rebels who lived long enough to be considered an old master.”
A major surgery in 1941 left him physically debilitated at 72, yet it signaled the dawn of a second artistic life
