Henri Matisse was not only an innovative genius but also a man of great warmth and humour with an overwhelming generosity of spirit. In 1941, in his early seventies and much of the time confined to his bed, he began one of his most complicated and successful printmaking projects, Florilège des Amours de Ronsard, illustrating the love poems of the 16th century poet Pierre de Ronsard. The work was to take seven years to complete and in its making Matisse’s sexuality was to find its most intense expression. The imagery created by Ronsard’s poems lent itself well to Matisse’s favoured themes of fruits, flowers, portraits and the female form. Most of these motifs were those which Matisse knew by heart and for which he had an abiding fondness.

This now very rare suite was printed by Mourlot Frères in Paris on pure rag tinted wove Papeteries d’Arches paper in an edition of 320 sets only, of which 300 were for sale. It was published in 1948.

The print is accompanied by a copy of the justification page signed by Matisse.
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