Matisse at Villa Le Rêve
Marie-France Boyer
Photographs by Hélène Adant
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| ‘A fine mixture of quotations and commentary, cohering admirably’ | | – Times Literary Supplement |
These photographs of Henri Matisse at home and at work at Villa Le Rêve, shown together with sketches, handwritten notes and a selection of his work from the time, capture a warmth and familiarity that will enchant all lovers of his art.
Matisse spent five years at Villa Le Rêve, near Vence in the South of France, seeking respite from the war and his failing health. Yet the art of this period is astonishingly bold: Matisse’s famous Vence interiors, with their saturated colours, were painted here. He also made his celebrated series of paper cutouts, Jazz, whose vitality seems undiminished by the fact that he was then almost eighty.
The photographs afford us an intimate glimpse into Matisse’s world. We see what he saw – the strong Provençal light filtered by trees and plants; models coming to pose and take tea with him; work in progress; and objects from the studio familiar to us all from his work.
This book will fascinate all Matisse lovers, and all who are drawn to vivid scenes from the life and work of one of the twentieth century’s enduring geniuses.
Marie-France Boyer is a freelance journalist, and the Paris editor for The World of Interiors magazine. She is the author of several books, including The French Café, The Private Realm of Marie Antoinette, The Cult of the Virgin and Spirit of the Sea, all published by Thames & Hudson. Hélène Adant, a cousin of Lydia Delectorskaya, Matisse’s model and assistant at the end of his life, took many photographs of Matisse between 1940 and the artist’s death in 1954.
Also of interest:
Matisse World of Art series
Matisse: The Sensuality of Colour New Horizons series
Bonnard: The Colour of Daily Life New Horizons series
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|  |  | | | | ISBN 0500511756 | | ISBN-13 978-0500511756 | | | | 21.0 x 16.5 cm | | Hardback | | 120pp | | With 91 illustrations | | First published 2004 | | | | £12.95 | | | |  | | | | 
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