Pierre Matisse (June 13, 1900 – August 10, 1989) was a French-American
art dealer active in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. He was the youngest child of French painter
Henri Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...
.
Background and early years
Pierre Matisse was born in
Bohain-en-Vermandois
Bohain-en-Vermandois () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
It is the place where the painter Henri Matisse grew up.
Etymology
Formerly called Bohain, the t ...
on June 13, 1900. He exhibited an early interest in the art market, and took a job at the prestigious
Galerie Barbazanges-Hodebert in Paris. In 1924, Pierre settled in New York, where he began a distinguished career of 65 years as an art dealer.
Pierre Matisse Gallery
In 1931, Matisse opened his own gallery in the
Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. The Pierre Matisse Gallery, which existed until his death in 1989, became an influential part of the
Modern Art movement in America. Matisse represented and exhibited many European artists and a few Americans and Canadians in New York, often for the first time. Matisse exhibited
Joan Miró,
Marc Chagall,
Alberto Giacometti,
Jean Dubuffet,
André Derain,
Yves Tanguy,
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
,
Paul Delvaux,
Wifredo Lam,
Jean-Paul Riopelle,
Balthus,
Leonora Carrington,
Zao Wou Ki,
Sam Francis, and
Simon Hantaï; sculptors
Theodore Roszak,
Raymond Mason, and
Reg Butler; and several other important artists, including his father. His art sales included ancient wares, such as the 1937 sale of an ancient
Olmec statuette to the
Wadsworth Atheneum in
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
.
Personal life
Matisse was married three times. His first marriage, to Alexina "Teeny" Sattler (later
Alexina Duchamp), resulted in the birth of three children:
Paul, a painter/inventor;
Jacqueline, and Peter. In 1949 the couple separated and Matisse married Patricia Kane Matta, the former wife of surrealist painter
Roberto Matta.
They were married until her death in 1972. In 1974, Matisse married Countess Maria-Gaetana "Tana" Matisse, the daughter of German diplomat Count
Karl von Spreti. They remained married until his death on August 10, 1989, in
Monaco
Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...
. He was interred in
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France.
References
Sources
*
Hilary Spurling. ''The Unknown Matisse: A Life of Henri Matisse, Vol. 1, 1869–1908''. London, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 1998. .
* Hilary Spurling. ''Matisse the Master: A Life of Henri Matisse, Vol. 2, The Conquest of Colour 1909–1954''. London, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 2005. .
*
John Russell, ''Matisse, Father & Son'', published by Harry N. Abrams, NYC. Copyright John Russell 1999,
External links
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Special Exhibitions, retrieved January 3, 2008Morgan Library and Museum, ''Pierre Matisse and His Artists,'' retrieved January 3, 2008
* ttps://matissefoundation.org The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matisse, Pierre
1900 births
1989 deaths
American art collectors
French art collectors
American art dealers
French art dealers
Henri Matisse
Pierre
French emigrants to the United States