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National Gallery of Denmark opens Matisse. Doubles and variations

Statens Museum for Kunst National Gallery of Denmark presents Matisse. Doubles and variations, an exhibition on view 14 July – 28 October 2012, bringing together a range of absolute masterpieces by Matisse from museums and private collections from all across the world. The exhibition, which is realised as a result of co-operation between the National Gallery of Denmark, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, adds a new chapter to our shared understanding of the French master painter.

Henri Matisse, Interior with Goldfish. MNAM, Centre Pompidou, Paris. Photo: RMN, Paris. © Succession H. Matisse/BilledKunst Copydan 2012. 1914. Oil on canvas, 147 x 97 cm.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) is one of the main figures of art history in general and one of the most far-reaching innovators of the art of painting in the 20th century. His bold deformation of the human figure, his coarse lines, his liberation of colour, and his highly insistent accentuation of the painterly marked a clear break with the expectations of art prevalent at the time. Yet while his shocked contemporaries viewed these features as horrendously barbaric, Matisse himself had no desire for conflict and provocation. Rather, the paintings – with their sense of harmony and optimistic colour schemes – were intended to offer a moment of pleasure, independent from the toils and tragedies of everyday life.

Presenting 53 paintings, 15 drawings, and 22 photographs – many of them major masterpieces – the exhibition provides an overview of Matisse’s life’s work from the very beginnings of his career to the end. However, this exhibitions differs from standard retrospectives about this French artist by virtue of its insistent focus on the artistic process itself; here, Matisse’s method of exploration comes under close scrutiny. Special attention is directed towards how the artist would repeat the same motif in series and pairs while systematically varying the colours and modes of expression. The exhibition juxtaposes a wide range of these interrelated works, several of which have rarely been shown together since they left the artist’s studio.

Statens Museum for Kunst, National Gallery of Denmark
Sølvgade 48-50
DK-1307 København K
Phone: +45 3374 8494
Fax: +45 3374 8404

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