Henri Matisse's iconic Blue Nudes cut-outs back together in Tate Modern exhibition

 
15 April 2014

A landmark exhibition of late works by Henri Matisse is reuniting the four famous Blue Nudes in Britain for the first time — a move that has astonished even his descendants.

Speaking before the exhibition of paper cut-outs opens at Tate Modern on Thursday, Sophie Matisse, the artist’s great-granddaughter, said it would be “thrilling” to see the famous blue silhouettes of a seated female figure among 130 works in the blockbuster show.

The Blue Nudes, cut from coloured paper using scissors, have been shown together only a handful of times since they were made in 1952, two years before Matisse’s death at the age of 84.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to look at these works together,” Mrs Matisse said as she prepared to view the show today.

“It is really very rare to have that kind of magical opportunity. I don’t even know how I will feel. I’ve always loved the cut-outs.

“A lot of the work I’ve seen before but there are a lot of works that I will be seeing for the first time. I’m very grateful to the Tate.”

Alex Lentati

Sir Nicholas Serota, Tate’s director, said many would view the exhibition as “the most evocative and beautiful show that London has ever seen”.

He added: “When you see them together, the skill and sheer exuberance of the material will be apparent. People sometimes say these could be done by a child, but it’s only an old man that has this incredible freedom of mind.”

Mrs Matisse, a New York-based artist who keeps her maiden name, said: “Even when he looked old, I think he was very young in spirit.” The exhibition will be the first Tate show broadcast live, in screenings at more than 200 British cinemas on June 3, with a tour presented by Sir Nicholas.

Read More

Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs, sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch with Hanjin Shipping, from Thursday to September 7, entry £18. tate.org.uk

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