Henri MATISSE - Woman leaning on a stool, 1903, signed drawing

Henri Matisse : (1869-1954) is a french painter, draftsman, engraver and scuptor born in Cateau-Cambrésis in 1869. He was the leading member of fauvism. He started to become interested in impressionist painting which he discovered in 1897 at The musée du Luxembourg (Luxemboug Museum). Since 1900, Matisse worked at The Grande Chaumière Academy under the direction of Antoine Bourdelle and visited Eugène Carrière' workshop. He met André Derain and Jean Puy. He exhibited at The Salon des Indépendants (1901) and participated to the first edition of The Salon d'automne (1903). He exhibited in 1904 at Ambroise Vollard and participated to The Salon des Indépendants the following year. During the summer 1905, he stayed in Collioure with Derain. At The Salon d'Automne of 1905, the display of his works with paintings by Albert Marquet, Vlaminck, Derain and Kees van Dongen caused scandal because of the pure and violent colors applied in solid areas on their canvas. The critic Louis Vauxcelles compares the place to a « cage aux fauves » (wild animals' cage) which coined the movement as "fauvism". The artist made several great exhibitions through the world : Moscow, Berlin, Munich, London or New York... In 1952 the Matisse Museum in Cateau-Cambrésis was inaugurated. The artist died two years later in Nice.