Henri Matisse

Adam's Gallery is excited to present an exhibition featuring one of the 20th Century's most renowned artists in Reigate.

Henri Matisse, born in 1869 in Northern France, forsook his law studies in 1891 to pursue painting. In Paris, he briefly attended the Académie Julian and the École des Beaux-Arts, adopting new influences that led him away from Impressionism towards a distinctive style characterized by vibrant color and fluid line, focusing mainly on women, interiors, and still lifes.

Between the early 1920s and 1939, Matisse split his time between Paris and the South of France. Following two significant surgeries in 1941 and 1942, he devoted himself to 'papiers découpés' (paper cutouts), a method he pioneered earlier, which became immensely influential. He was also among the first painters to explore "primitive" art. Matisse passed away on November 3, 1954, in Nice.

The exhibition showcases pieces from the 1930s to the 1950s, encompassing many of his iconic images, including the celebrated cutout series.