Major exhibition dedicated to Henri Matisse opens in Amsterdam

The Romanian Blouse, The Violinist at the Window or even Luxury, Calm and Voluptuousness: an exhibition in Amsterdam will bring together from Saturday many masterpieces by the French painter Henri Matisse, in an exhibition dedicated to the man who was the leading figure of Fauvism.

Entitled Chez Matisse - Masterpieces from Center Pompidou, the exhibition at the H'ART museum in Amsterdam brings together nearly 80 works mainly from the collections of the Center Georges-Pompidou in Paris, with 30 masterpieces by Matisse himself.

“It presents the works of Matisse from his beginnings, at the age of 30, to one of his masterpieces, The Romanian Blouse, one of his most famous works,” Annabelle Birnie, director of the H'ART museum, explained to AFP on Thursday during the opening of the exhibition.

With its blue skirt, its embroidered white blouse and its bright red background, this portrait painted in 1940 of Lydia Délectorskaya, close to the painter, evokes the French flag in a context of the Second World War. “It’s a breathtaking work, which is almost never loaned out. We are therefore really delighted to welcome him,” adds the director.

For Birgit Boelens, curator, this exhibition is special because it allows us to retrace the entire artistic career of Henri Matisse, “and at Matisse, innovations follow one another at a frantic pace”.

From his classical beginnings, influenced by the Dutch masters, to the pure color revolution of Fauvism, through the darker years of the war, the painter experimented throughout his life, she explained. “It’s so fascinating to be able to see all this here, gathered in one place,” says Birgit Boelens.

The Amsterdam exhibition will be open until February 14.