Henri Matisse
Explore Henri Matisse in the Breething Books catalog through two distinct copies of Cinquante Dessins (1920) and the 1983 facsimile edition of Jazz. Each listing has its own photographs and catalog description.
Matisse’s line, color and illustrated books
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) built pictures through both the energy of color and the economy of a drawn line. His drawings and prints can describe a figure with flowing contours; his late cut-outs make shape and color inseparable. For Jazz, begun in 1943 and published in 1947, he cut forms from vividly painted paper and arranged them as compositions for a book.
The catalog offers two different encounters with that practice. Cinquante Dessins brings reproduced drawings together with an original etching, while the 1983 Jazz facsimile gives access to the later book’s color compositions and handwritten text. Comparing them shows how a book can carry the intimacy of drawing or the scale and rhythm of color. The dates below identify the editions offered.
Cataloged books and editions
Cinquante Dessins (1920), copy 628/1,000
This copy is cataloged as unopened in its original paper wrappers, with one original etching in black by Matisse and fifty reproduced drawings.
View Cinquante Dessins, copy 628/1,000
Cinquante Dessins (1920), copy 492/1,000
A separate copy of the same 1920 edition, also with one original etching in black and fifty reproduced drawings. Its listing includes its own condition report; the unopened qualification above applies to copy 628.
View Cinquante Dessins, copy 492/1,000
Jazz (1983 facsimile)
The MoMA/George Braziller facsimile reproduces the 1947 Éditions Tériade portfolio, with twenty color reproductions and facsimile handwritten text. This listing is the 1983 facsimile, not an original 1947 edition.
Related catalog: Art Books, Prints and Artist Portfolios.
Explore related material
Artists’ Books · Livres d’Artiste · Artists & Authors
Check each item page for current availability. These artist and edition notes remain useful after a copy sells; browse the Sold Archive for recorded past holdings.
Further reading
Edition research
Browse permanent edition and portfolio references
- Matisse’s Cinquante Dessins (1920): Etching, Reproductions and Copy Evidence
- Matisse’s Jazz: The 1983 MoMA–Braziller Facsimile
Background: a single artwork or illustrated design from the cataloged Henri Matisse holding.