St Tropez

1895–1912

Gifts for five lotteries and support for the arts

Having prospered, Signac supports the arts generously: he sends regular cheques and between 1895 and 1912 gives works of his own for five lotteries.

summer 1904

Matisse in Saint-Tropez beside Signac and Cross

In the summer of 1904 Henri Matisse works in Saint-Tropez alongside the neo-Impressionists Henri-Edmond Cross and Paul Signac; the result is “Luxe, calme et volupté,” his most important work in the Divisionist technique. Signac inspires Matisse and André Derain, playing a decisive role in the evolution of Fauvism, although he himself did not admire the style when it first appeared.

1905

Buying Matisse's “Luxe, calme et volupté”

After the 1905 Salon des Indépendants, where Matisse exhibited “Luxe, calme et volupté,” Signac buys the painting — the first patron to buy a work by Matisse.

1908–1935

Leading the Salon des Indépendants: Fauves and Cubists

In 1908 Signac is elected president of the Twenty-fourth Salon des Indépendants and heads the Société des Artistes Indépendants until his death. He supports young artists and gives the Fauves and the Cubists a chance to exhibit their controversial works.