Henri Matisse

Pieces of perfection. Jazz, chef d'oeuvre of Matisse's radical new medium. The reputation of Henri Matisse (1869-1954) as a modernist giant is rivaled only by Picasso - who himself said, "All things considered, there is only Matisse." One of Matisse's greatest gifts to art history was the seminal cut-out work of his late career. As ill health gradually prevented him from standing at an easel, the artist directed his creativity to cutting, arranging, and pasting painted paper. In their deceptive simplicity, beguiling hues, and anticipation of minimalist abstraction, these gouaches decoupees represented not only a whole new medium, but a stylistic paradigm for generations of artists to come. This fresh, standard TASCHEN edition of our original prize-winning XL volume presents a highest quality facsimile of one of the most significant cut-out works, Jazz. First published in 1947, this assembly of twenty unbound color plates with fine calligraphic text features a series of circus and theatre-inspired scenes. The title Jazz evoked for Matisse both a lively energy, and the idea of a structure broken by unanticipated improvisation.
Certainly, no other serious artist had innovated with collage to this extreme of simplicity and description. Remarkable for the harmonious decorative relationship between handwriting and image, and brimming with a fervour and vibrancy, Jazz is not only a masterpiece among art books, but also a joyful affirmation of abundant creative spirit in spite of physical frailty.