La gitane

summer 1904

Summer in Saint-Tropez with Signac

Together with the Neo-Impressionists Paul Signac and Henri Cross, Matisse went to Saint-Tropez, where he began working in the Divisionist technique. There he painted his first masterpiece, "Luxe, Calme et Volupté" (1904/1905).

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.