Henri-Emile-Benoit Matisse, born in 1869 in Le Cateau, died in Nice at the Palais Régina in November 1954. Between these two dates, he became one of the Masters of 20th-century painting.
He arrived in Nice in 1917 and remained there until his passing in 1954.
He settled on the Promenade des Anglais, reunited with his friends from the Gustave Moreau studio, and encountered the unique light filtered through the shutters of Nice. After 1917, Matisse became a Niçois artist, and Nice a Matisse city.
Live with Matisse, in Nice or Vence, experiencing local traditions, the diverse and surprising events that the painter may have encountered, his meetings and friendships, from 1917 to 1954.
This book narrates the city, the hills of the hinterland, and the Old Town where Matisse dined with Jules Romains, Maeterlinck, and Stefan Zweig, in the fragrant streets described by his friend Apollinaire.
A different atmosphere, that of Vence and Cimiez where he chose to conclude his life and work.
Alex Benvenuto, a historian in love with his city, aims to present it to us in a new light, as Matisse might have perceived it, in his incredible artistic adventure, but also in his daily life.
This book reads like a kaleidoscope of information, allowing one to broaden their perspective by learning about the environment of a work to better understand it.
