4 May to 1 September 2024

Free admission

The French painter, sculptor and designer, Henri Matisse was one of the 20th century’s most influential artists. Matisse: Drawing with Scissors features 35 posthumous prints of the famous cut-outs that he produced in the last four years of his life, when confined to his bed. It includes many of his iconic images, such as The Snail and the Blue Nudes.

Matisse continued creating highly original works into his eighties. For his cut-outs he used paper hand-painted with gouache, which he carved into with scissors: ‘the paper cut-out allows me to draw in the colour …’

The lithographic reproductions in this exhibition are taken from a special issue of Verve, a review of art and literature, published by Matisse’s friend, the critic and fine art publisher Tériade, in 1958, four years after Matisse’s death. The publication was planned during Matisse’s lifetime and the first lithographic plates were prepared under his direction a few days before he died.

A Hayward Gallery Touring Exhibition