Rio’s Caixa Cultural Showcases Collages by French Artist Henri Matisse

By Beatriz Miranda, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Next Tuesday, October 24th, Caixa Cultural, in Centro, opens the exhibition “Henri Matisse – Jazz”, dedicated to the French artist’s collage work. With the curatorship of Ana Paola Baptista, who will lead a guided tour on the opening day, the art exposition will be on until December 22nd.

In the twenty printed boards being showcased at Caixa Cultural, Matisse used the technique known as “au pouchoir” (stencil). The pieces were specially created to “Jazz”, a limited edition illustration book published in Paris in 1947.

The collages’ aesthetics vary from abstract forms to concrete and vivid images. Placed upon these images are some of Matisse’s manuscripts, which consist in the artist’s thoughts on travels, popular stories, circus, among other themes.

According to Matisse himself, the book’s layout presents a “rhythm” that reminds of the sound of a jazz orchestra.

The editing process of “Jazz” started in 1942, having taken five years until its publication. Even though the book was supposed to be a “collage book” since its creation, Matisse’s idea of adding text to the images only came up in 1946. In total, 250 copies of the book were published across the world, but only two of them are in Brazil.

Renowned worldwide for its collage works, Matisse is also considered to be the great precursor of the “drawing with scissors” technique, developed when the artist had to spend most of his time in bed due to a cancer, in the 1940s.

Designer, painter, sculptor and engraver, Henri Marisse was a versatile French artist whose benchmark was his very expressive colors and original drawings. Along with Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp, Matisse is considered one of the most avant-guarde artists of the twentieth century.

All the pieces showcased at “Henri Matisse – Jazz” are part of the collection of Castro Maya Museums, situated in Santa Teresa.

What: “Henri Matisse – Jazz”
When: October 24th to December 22nd – 10AM to 9PM (opens at 7PM on October 24th)
Where: Caixa Cultural – Avenida Almirante Barroso, 25 – Centro – Tel: (21) 3980-3815
Entrance: FREE