The art of our century has been dominated by two men: Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. They are artists of classical greatness, and their visionary forays into new art have changed our understanding of the world. Matisse was the elder of the two, but he was a slower and more methodical man by temperament and it was Picasso who initially made the greater splash. Matisse, like Raphael, was a born leader and taught and encouraged other painters, while Picasso, like Michelangelo, inhibited them with his power: he was a natural czar.

In Quest of Pure Colour 1869-1905

Realism and Decoration 1906-1916

The Intimacy of the Nice Period 1917-1929

Beyond Spatial Limits 1930-1940

Matisse’s Second Life: an Art of Grace 1941-1954

Henri Matisse 1869-1954:A Chronology