Jazz

Artist Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954)

Author Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954)

Printer pochoirs: Edmond Vairel, [s.l.] text: [Draeger Frères, Paris]

Date1947

DimensionsPortfolio: H: 26 1/4 in. (667 mm); W: 17 1/2 in. (444 mm); Depth: 3/4 in. (19 mm).
Leaf (untrimmed): H: 25 1/2 in. (648 mm); W: 16 5/8 in. (422 mm).

MediumReproduction: line block reproduction of brush sketches of the pochoir prints and handwritten titles (key to the plates). Text: letterpress (typeface: Deberny & Peignot Garamont capitals). Paper: Arches cream wove.

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineGift of Molly and Walter Bareiss

Object number

1985.85A-V

Not on View

Label TextFinding it difficult to paint while recovering from surgery in 1941, Henri Matisse found a new way to channel his drive to create: he used scissors to cut shapes from paper painted with gouache (opaque watercolor). He pinned the shapes up on the wall of his studio, rearranging them until satisfied with the composition. Matisse used this technique, which he called “drawing with scissors,” to produce the images for the circus-themed book Jazz beginning in 1943. Instead of reproducing the cutouts as lithographs (a process that did not satisfactorily capture the vivid colors of the gouache-painted paper), Matisse decided on the pochoir technique, in which thick ink was applied to paper through stencils cut in the shapes of his designs. The eye-popping result is today recognized as one of the most important—and most beautiful—artists’ books ever produced. The title Jazz likely comes from the improvisational and “syncopated” nature of Matisse’s handwritten text, which explores the artist’s thoughts on art and life in an intensely intimate, often rambling way.Published Referencescf. Castleman, Riva, A Century of Artists Books, New York, 1994, pp. 96--97, col. reprs.

cf. Duthuit, Claude, Henri Matisse: Catalogue raisonné des ouvrages illustrés, Paris, 1988, no. 22 bis, col. reprs.

cf. Garvey, Eleanor M., The Artist & the Book, 1860--1960, Boston, 1961, no. 200, col. repr.

cf. Hogben, Carol, Rowan Watson, editors, From Manet to Hockney: Modern Artists’ Illustrated Books, London, 1985, no. 114, reprs. (some col.)

cf. Johnson, Robert Flynn, Artists' Books in the Modern Era 1870--2000: the Reva and David Logan Collection of Illustrated Books, San Francisco, 2001, no. 120

Reich, Paula, Toledo Museum of Art: Map and Guide, London, Scala, 2009, p. 55, repr. (col.).

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, plates: X, V, II, XI, XII, XIV exhibited Nov. 7, 1999 - Jan. 18, 2000

Toledo Museum of Art, Don't Feed the Books: Birds, Bugs, and Bestiaries Featuring the Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection of Modern Illustrated Books, 2001, repr. (col.) p. 4

Toledo Museum of Art, Splendid Pages: The Books, Feb. 14 - May 11, 2003

Toledo Museum of Art, Between the Wars, Sept. 5 - Dec.31 2008

Toledo Museum of Art, Inner Space, June 20 - Oct.10, 2008.

Toledo Museum of Art, Werner Pfeiffer Selects, Feb. 13-May 10, 2015.