Matisse: Drawing Life is the most comprehensive exhibition of Henri Matisse's prints and drawings ever mounted and is only showing at the Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. Presented in partnership with the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the exhibition includes more than 300 drawings, prints and illustrated books by one of the twentieth century's greatest artists. Exploring the themes and subjects to which Matisse repeatedly turned throughout his long career, the exhibition provides insights into the artist's daily drawing practice.
Curated exclusively for GoMA by Céline Chicha-Castex, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Prints, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and independent Paris-based curator Emilie Ovaere-Corthay, the exhibition brings together works from international, national and private collections to explore the extraordinary range and depth of Matisse's engagement with the graphic mark.
As a spectacular installation within the Matisse: Drawing Life exhibition, The Drawing Room features an abundance of objects to draw, from still-life arrangements and sculptures to fabrics and furniture, as well as live music and models, to encourage visitors in the creative activity of drawing. Taking a twenty-first-century approach to drawing, visitors can also engage with sketching through a touchscreen interactive tablet. Purchase a season ticket and return as often as you like to enjoy a series of ongoing programs and events throughout the exhibition period.
Purchase a season ticket and return as often as you like to enjoy a series of ongoing programs and events throughout the exhibition.
APPROACHES TO DRAWING WITH CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS
2.30pm selected Saturdays
Through a series of informal conversations, local artists will share their approaches to making art. More information.
MUSIC IN THE STUDIO
12.30 to 2.30pm daily
From the musician as model to the music itself, music's powerful impact on the senses has inspired many artists, including Matisse. Be stimulated and serenaded by solo violinists performing daily.
LINE FROM LIFE
11.30am to 1.30pm Tuesdays, Thursdays & Sundays
Matisse captured the patterns and detail of textiles with models dressed in formal gowns and Romanian blouses, as odalisques and as dancers, and studied the sinuous line of the human form through their poses. Visitors will have the opportunity to draw from costumed models.
There are many other programs and events allowing you to delve into the life and work of Matisse, learn about the sources of inspiration that influenced his work, and participate in a dynamic range of programs and events. More information.
The Gallery's Australian Cinémathèque presents a free weekly program of documentaries profiling the life and work of Henri Matisse. The program includes a number of important films, archival fragments and biographical documentaries featuring footage of the artist working in his studio. Included is a rare presentation of François Campaux's documentary Henri Matisse 1946, showing the evolution of a series of charcoal drawings of Matisse's grandson; and A Model for Matisse 2003, which presents the tender relationship between Matisse and the woman who would inspire him to create the masterpiece of his life's work: the Chapel of the Rosary in the French Mediterranean village of Vence.