The Fondation Beyeler presents the first Henri Matisse retrospective in Switzerland and in the German-speaking world in almost 20 years.

Matisse (1869–1954) ranks among the most famous exponents of modern art. His groundbreaking work has had a profound influence on generations of artists, from his contemporaries up to the present day.
By freeing colour from the motif and simplifying forms, he redefined painting and brought a hitherto unknown lightness to art. With more than 70 major works on loan from prestigious European and American museums as well as private collections, the exhibition highlights the development and the wide range of the artist’s pioneering oeuvre. It begins with the early works created around 1900, moving on to the revolutionary paintings of Fauvism and the experimental works of the 1910s, the sensual paintings of the Nice period and the 1930s, before culminating in the legendary cut-outs of his late work in the 1940s and 1950s. The exhibition takes as its starting point Charles Baudelaire’s famous poem “Invitation to the Voyage”. It thus invites viewers on a journey through Matisse’s singular work, in which travel played an important part. During his explorations of countries such as Italy, Spain, Russia, Morocco, the United States and Tahiti, the artist found ever-renewed inspiration in the nature and art of other cultures.

In a multimedia space conceived specially for the exhibition, Matisse’s travels are made vivid through animated historical photographs and wall panels. Photographs and films further provide insights into his studios and his creative process.

свернуть