Picasso & Matisse

Andipa Gallery celebrates two prominent artists responsible for some of the greatest art of the early 20th Century. The works of Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) and Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) are presented within Andipa Gallery's winter exhibition, Picasso & Matisse, which runs from Friday 16 November through Saturday 8 December, 2007 at 162 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, SW3 2JL. The exhibition comprises over 40 original signed linocuts, etchings and lithographs, as well as a selection of unique drawings. Prices range from o6,000 to o150,000.

Matisse, already established as one of the leaders of the Fauve movement, first met Picasso in his studio in 1906. Picasso, twelve years Matisse's junior, was then known as much for his fiery personality and tempestuous romances as for his innovative artistic style; a stark contrast to the refined, family-oriented Matisse. Despite their differences, the two men began what would become the most important relationship of their artistic lives: from frequent studio visits and Saturday evenings in the company of the infamous Stein family in the rue de Fleurus, to the first of many joint exhibitions in the Galerie Paul Guillaume in Paris in 1918.

Picasso and Matisse's exploration of line and form, as well as their shared obsession with the motif of the artist and the model, is visible throughout the show. The Andipa Gallery presents several works from Picasso's Suite Vollard which, together with his reflections on the artist's studio and the recurring themes of the Minotaur and the battle of love, is considered one of the most important graphic series in the history of art, in addition to later works from the 347 Series. A similar mastery of simplicity of line and form is apparent in such works by Matisse as Loulou Masque (1914 - 1915), Le Bonnet Fleurie (1929) and Nu Pour Cleveland (1932).

Picasso's colour linocuts, executed at the height of his prodigious career in the late 1950s and early 1960s, are considered the crowning achievement of his graphic work. The artist's innovative use of a singular block in the printing of linocuts enabled him to achieve brilliantly and richly coloured works on paper, evident in such works within the exhibition as Nature Morte a la Pastesque (1962). Realising only approximately 200 different images in colour linocut, these works have become rare icons of modern art. Amongst a selection of linocuts presented are Femme au Chapeau (1962), Avant la Pique, (1959) and Grand Nu de Femme (1962). These linocuts complement several original works by Picasso on display, including Tete d'Homme (1959) and Le Petit Bijoux (1963), an original pastel and pencil drawing, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Maya Widmaier Picasso.

Matisse's fluidity of line and bold playfulness can be further viewed in the delicate, yet expressive, unique drawing entitled Femme Nue (1927), previously found within the private collection of Madame Jean Matisse. Three years following the execution of this piece, Matisse travelled to Tahiti in search of new light, new surroundings and inspiration. He sketched daily from his French windows at the Hotel Stuart, depicting the framed glimpses of the sea front boulevard and the two slender masts that swayed beneath the foliage of the towering trees. This spectacular view is on display in the unique piece Bateau a l'Amarte (1930).

Picasso & Matisse celebrates the two most significant artists of the 20th Century, whose combined innovations revolutionized western art in the 20th Century and whose presence continues to echo throughout the art world today.