Thursday, January 19 at 6:00 PM
From 1912 until his death in 1954, Henri Matisse engaged in nearly fifty illustration projects, many of which rank among the greatest artists’ books of the twentieth century. A master printmaker, equally adept in various media, he ensured that his prints would appear to best advantage in conjunction with the printed page. He directly participated in page layout, typography, lettering, ornament, cover design, and the choice of text. Some publishers welcomed his design ideas; others resisted them. This lecture considers the collaborative nature of bookmaking by taking two examples, Ulysses (1935) and Jazz (1947). Both books suffered from production problems, but the publisher of Jazz persevered and shares the credit for a modernist masterpiece innovative in style and structure.
John Bidwell is a curator emeritus at the Morgan Library & Museum. He has written essays, articles, and monographs on printing history and typographical design in England, France, and America. While at the Morgan he curated exhibitions on Victorian bestsellers, Gutenberg Bibles, Beatrix Potter, Henri Matisse, and landscape design. The Matisse exhibition was accompanied by a catalogue, Graphic Passion: Matisse and the Book Arts (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2015).
Photo caption: Matisse working on Ulysses, photograph possibly by Pierre Matisse, July 1934, The Morgan Library & Museum
Presented by the Barra Foundation Fund
This is an in person event.
Reception to follow.
