The UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing is currently hosting an exceptional exhibition celebrating the artistic genius of the celebrated French artist, Henri Matisse. Titled “Matisse by Matisse,” the exhibition provides a profound exploration of the creative processes and monumental achievements of this renowned pioneer of Fauvism. Notably, this marks the inaugural solo exhibition of Henri Matisse’s works on the Chinese mainland.
The exhibition boasts a rich collection of over 280 pieces crafted by Matisse, complemented by an array of handicrafts and other artifacts personally amassed by the artist. These works are on loan from the Musée départemental Matisse, Le Cateau-Cambrésis, a museum that holds the distinction of being the only one Matisse himself was directly involved in planning and founding.
“In this collection, which was selected by Matisse, we see an overview of who he was and how he grew and changed as an artist. By looking at this exhibition, we are looking at Matisse’s own understanding of his evolution as an artist. That’s why we call this exhibition ‘Matisse by Matisse’,” explained Philip Tinari, the Director of the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art.
Born in northern France in 1869, Henri Matisse is recognized as a key figure and founder of Fauvism, a major 20th-century art movement. The “Matisse by Matisse” exhibition is more than just a showcase of the artist’s masterpieces. It invites visitors on an intimate journey through Matisse’s life and artistic evolution.
The exhibition unfolds across eleven distinct sections, each dedicated to a different phase of Matisse’s career or aspect of his artistic practice. The range of mediums on display is vast, including oil paintings, sculptures, ink drawings, prints, cut-outs, illustrations, and textiles.
A unique segment of the exhibition delves into the influence Matisse and Fauvism exerted on the burgeoning modern art movement in China during the 1920s and 1940s. “Matisse was really active in the early years of the 20th century. Interestingly, that’s the time when you have Chinese artists studying in Paris, like Liu Haisu and Guan Liang. They were seeing works by Matisse and other modern artists. They wrote about them and even held interesting debates over them,” Tinari further elaborated.
The concurrent rise of Matisse as an artist and the flourishing of China’s own modern art movement presents an intriguing parallel, offering visitors a unique lens through which to appreciate the global interconnectedness of artistic evolution. This connection reaffirms the profound impact of Matisse’s work, not only in the context of his time but also in the broader landscape of global art history.
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