Matisse and Decoration

“Absolutely terrific”—Tyler Green, Modern Art Notes Podcast

“The issue of the “decorative” in Matisse’s work has long been a thorn in the literature: while the artist never stopped affirming its importance, aiming to dismiss the negative connotations that plagued the concept of decoration in the context of modernist art, his enormous achievements in the field of decorative arts remain almost entirely understudied, with the exception of the Vence Chapel. Most Matisse scholars have taken the artist at his word and treated the “decorative” as a quality pertaining to his paintings. John Klein does not contradict this view, but he shows how Matisse’s thought evolved not only to admit that the “decorative” and decoration proper could meet, but also, after the Second World War, that the decorative arts were the most appropriate means to convey his idiosyncratic sense of the “decorative.” Examining many little-known commissions, and in some cases their relative failure, Klein reveals a gradual change in Matisse’s response to the demands of his patrons, and to the various media to which he gradually submits. Matisse, a stubborn man, prone to dissatisfaction with the translation of one of his designs into a medium he did not directly control, learned how to take advantage of a given medium’s limitations. This arc is formidably traced in this book, radically changing our understanding of Matisse’s career.”—Professor Yve-Alain Bois, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

“Matisse believed passionately in the life-enhancing potential of decorative art but, as John Klein reveals in this absorbing, fully documented, and comprehensive study, many of the commissions he eagerly accepted would involve frustration and setbacks, as he strove to master new techniques, work effectively with his collaborators, satisfy capricious patrons, and, above all, meet his own exacting standards. Written with perfect lucidity and rare candor, generously illustrated, and handsomely designed, Matisse and Decoration places the personal ambitions and unique creative process of the artist center stage, but never loses sight of the wider cultural and political context that shaped Matisse’s thought and action. The unfolding human drama Klein describes makes for enlightening and compelling reading.”—Professor Elizabeth Cowling, Edinburgh College of Art