Henri Matisse was a French artist known for his pioneering role in the development of modern art in the early 20th century. Born in 1869 in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, France, Matisse initially studied law before turning to art, and he enrolled in the Académie Julian in Paris in 1891. He is best known for his vividly colored paintings and his use of bold, simplified forms, which he developed in his Fauvist period from around 1900 to 1908.

Matisse’s Jazz cutouts represent a profound turning point in his life and art, born out of necessity, resilience, and a deepening desire to express pure color and form. It was his first major project using this new technique. It was originally conceived as a book of images, from which The Sword Swallower graphic is pulled.

In the early 1940s, Matisse was recovering from a major surgery for abdominal cancer. He was in his seventies and physically weakened, often confined to a wheelchair or bed. Unable to paint or stand at an easel as he once did, Matisse developed a new method of working that he called “painting with scissors.”

He began cutting shapes from sheets of paper that had been painted with bright gouache colors by assistants under his direction. With these cut-paper forms—gouaches découpées—he created vivid, lyrical compositions directly on the walls of his studio.

Jazz was revolutionary. It transformed how people thought about drawing, painting, and collage. Though created under physical duress, it radiates joy, freedom, and energy.

Matisse's work was also influenced by his travels to North Africa and the Middle East, as well as by his interest in non-Western art. In addition to painting, Matisse worked in other media such as sculpture, printmaking, and collage. He continued to create art until his death in 1954, and his legacy remains an important influence on contemporary art. Significant collections of his work can be found at the MoMA in New York, London’s Tate Modern, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg Russia, The Met, and Musée Matisse in Nice, France.