Standing Nude

summer 1905

Collioure: The Birth of Fauvism

Matisse spent the summer of 1905 with André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck in the fishing village of Collioure on the Mediterranean. Together with Derain he created a new style that entered art history as Fauvism.

October 1905

Scandal at the Salon d'Automne

Matisse showed "The Open Window" and "Woman with a Hat"; Louis Vauxcelles's review of 17 October 1905 gave the group the nickname "fauves" ("wild beasts"). "Woman with a Hat" was bought by Leo Stein for 500 francs, which raised the market value of the artist's work.

1906

Meeting Pablo Picasso

The first meeting between Matisse and Picasso took place at the Steins' salon on the Rue de Fleurus in Paris. Their creative friendship was full of rivalry and mutual respect.

20 March 1906

"Le Bonheur de Vivre" at the Salon des Indépendants

Matisse presented "Le Bonheur de Vivre" (The Joy of Life), a painting combining pastoral and bacchanal motifs. Critics and academic circles reacted with extreme irritation, but Leo Stein purchased this painting as well.

1941

Cancer and a Difficult Operation

Matisse was diagnosed with duodenal cancer; the operation was successful, but complications nearly cost him his life. Three months confined to bed led to the birth of a new technique — compositions of cut paper.

1943–1949 · Bopæl

villa Le Rêve