• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ransom Center Magazine

  • Articles
  • Sections
    • Art
    • Books + Manuscripts
    • Conservation
    • Exhibitions + Events
    • Film
    • Literature
    • Photography
    • Research + Teaching
    • Theatre + Performing Arts
  • Print Edition

In the Galleries: Rare opportunity to see Henri Matisse’s Jazz on display

April 21, 2017 - Marissa Kessenich

In the Galleries: Rare opportunity to see Henri Matisse’s Jazz on display

Featured in the Stories to Tell exhibition is a rare exclusive look at Henri Matisse’s art book, Jazz (1947). The book is made up of 20 color prints along with explanations of the art pieces. Due to a surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his stomach, Matisse was unable to stand at an easel or sculpt for the latter part of his life. Thus, this book is entirely made up of cut-out forms arranged as collage and découpages. The Ransom Center’s copy of the book is number 18 of only 250 copies published and signed by the artist. This is the only time all 20 plates have been concurrently displayed at the Ransom Center.

The exhibition Stories to Tell: Selections from the Harry Ransom Center.
“Jazz” on display in the exhibition “Stories to Tell: Selections from the Harry Ransom Center.”

Art publisher Tériade, which had featured Matisse’s cut-out work on the cover of their magazine Verve, made the decision to issue Matisse’s 20 plates as a separate and comprehensive art book. The book was well-received despite its limited release and the art world’s appreciation for the collage form at the time.

The title of the book came from Matisse’s love for the musical genre. He viewed jazz as a “chromatic and rhythmic improvisation” that similarly reflected his own mixture of structured forms and randomized colors and shapes.

 

Jazz is a testament to Matisse’s imagination. For preservation reasons, the book is rarely displayed, making its inclusion in the Stories to Tell exhibition a unique opportunity to view the book in its entirety. The Ransom Center also holds other works by Matisse as well as his correspondence with friends and other artists.

Stories to Tell: Selections from the Harry Ransom Center runs through July 16, 2017. Open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended Thursday evening hours to 7 p.m., and open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Additional visitor information is online.

Filed Under: Art, Exhibitions + Events Tagged With: artists' books, collage, découpage, Henri Matisse, In the Galleries, Jazz, Stories to Tell, Veriade, Verve

Primary Sidebar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4_kazYMjNM

Recent Posts

  • Celebrate with us in 2023
  • Photographer Laura Wilson delves into the lives of writers with stunning portraits
  • A childhood gift inspires a lifelong passion for India and map-collecting
  • “Dog” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
  • A Greek fragment is the first-known New Testament papyrus written on the front side of a scroll

Tags

acquisition Alice's Adventures in Wonderland archive archives Art Books Cataloging Conservation Council on Library and Information Resources David Foster Wallace David O. Selznick digitization exhibition Exhibitions Fellows Find Fellowships Film Frank Reaugh Frank Reaugh: Landscapes of Texas and the American West Gabriel Garcia Marquez Gabriel Garcia Marquez archive Gone with the Wind I have seen the Future: Norman Bel Geddes Designs America Lewis Carroll literature Magnum Photos Manuscripts Meet the Staff Nobel Prize Norman Bel Geddes Norman Mailer Performing Arts Photography poetry preservation Publishing Research Robert De Niro Shakespeare theater The King James Bible: Its History and Influence The Making of Gone With The Wind Undergraduate What is Research? World War I

Archives

Before Footer

Sign up for eNews

Our monthly newsletter highlights news, exhibitions, and programs.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About

Ransom Center Magazine is an online and print publication sharing stories and news about the Harry Ransom Center, its collections, and the creative community surrounding it.

Copyright © 2023 Harry Ransom Center

Web Accessibility · Web Privacy