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Paper wrapper, from Jazz

A work made of photolithograph in black on ivory wove paper (recto and verso).

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  • A work made of photolithograph in black on ivory wove paper (recto and verso).

Date:

1947

Artist:

Henri Matisse (French, 1869–1954)
printed by Draeger Frères (French, 1886–1980)
published by Tériade for Éditions Verve (French, 1943–1975)

About this artwork

Henri Matisse’s Jazz is often considered the pinnacle of livres d’artiste. Livres d’artiste, or artist’s books, are typically collaborations between artists and authors resulting in limited edition, fine-crafted, beautifully printed books with original graphic work. The tradition was particularly strong in France in the beginning-to-mid 20th century.Like many of his contemporaries, Matisse was part of this movement; Jazz was by far his most ambitious and beautiful book. He composed the copy and then hand-wrote the curvy, playful calligraphic text in addition to creating all of the images. The images are the primary focus, and as Matisse himself explains at the beginning of the book, the role of the text “is purely visual.”The publisher Tériade produced only 270 complete copies of this book of loose folio sheets, which include 20 color pochoirs—prints hand-colored using a stenciling technique. A variety of motifs—the circus, the sea, algae, leaves—runs throughout the book, displaying Matisse’s famous technique of brightly colored cut-outs. The end result is a lush, lively creation that feels as fresh today as at its conception.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Henri Matisse

Title

Paper wrapper, from Jazz

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Copyrighted 1947

Medium

Photolithograph in black on ivory wove paper (recto and verso)

Dimensions

Closed: 42.5 × 32.8 × 4.2 cm (16 3/4 × 12 15/16 × 1 11/16 in.); Open: 42.5 × 69.5 cm (16 3/4 × 27 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Simeon B. Williams Fund

Reference Number

1948.80.2

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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