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A must own for any fan of the master or fan of cut-out art

It’s not often I’m speechless over a book. Taschen’s Henri Matisse, Cut-outs. Drawing with Scissors, 2 Vol. is an amazing collection of Matisse’s work in the later years of his life. Tracing his roots from his time in Tahiti in the 1930’s through his final years in the 1950’s, Drawing with Scissors shows what a brilliant artist he was.

In his later years, Matisse could no longer stand for long periods of time. He began experimenting with cut-outs and while he was derided by the critics of his time, today his cut-outs are considered a beautiful solution to the conflict of line and color. By using simple shapes, Matisse is able to deconstruct the image and create something new and exciting; much like Picasso did with cubism.

Cut-outs, Drawing with Scissors, 2 Vol is 486 pages, comes in a hardcover slipcase and comes with a reprint of Jazz. Printed on paper to the similar to the 1947 edition, it is as close to the original unbound book as possible. It contains a mix of Matisse’s original handwritten text and reproductions of his amazing cutouts, perfect for framing and impressing your uncouth friends.

Filled with rare photos and insightful introspection into his life, Taschen has crafted a book that is almost as better than attending an art gallery retrospective of Matisse’s work. Authors Gilles Neret and Xavier-Gilles Neret have brought their love the subject to life with quotations from Matisse, Picasso, the original publisher of Jazz, E. Teriade; Henri Michaux, Matisse’s son-in-law, Georges Duthuit and others. Each page is filled with information and spectacle.
Henri Matisse, Cut-outs. Drawing with Scissors, 2 Vol. is a must own for any fan of the master or fan of cut-out art. After reading the book, I hope that I can attend a retrospective of his work featured in the book. The collection is a bit on the expensive side but well worth the price.

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