In 2014 Tate Modern in London held a retrospective of the work of Henri Matisse concentrating primarily on his paper cuts which marked the final chapter of his career. I was lucky enough to attend the exhibition which was a chance to see so many of his works in one place.
The work was simple but big and bold, made up of often repeated shapes, using colour palettes which were a combination of deep vibrant colours and soft pastels, Matisse was known as the art worlds greatest colourist, and since the exhibition the design world has been heavily influenced by this period of work by the French modern artists such as Matisse, Picasso and Jean Cocteau.
With the imminent 150th Anniversary of Matisse’s birthday in December this year, there are so many new products featuring this stylised type of drawing, in honour of this important and influential design period.
Some are exquisitely hand crafted by modern day artisans, such as the designs produced in Morocco for Lrnce, who use sustainable materials and local crafts people to produce the clothes and interior accessories for their two stores.
There are a few select stockists of their products in the UK, including The Conran Shop and we are very lucky to have A Hare In The Forest ,based in Manchester, as an official stockist, selling these beautiful modern designs, along with original lithographs from the artists producing in France during that important period of art history, through a series of pop ups and exhibitions. The next Exhibition is due to take place in Manchester City Centre in November and it is definitely worth following their instagram account to find out more about future events.
Luckily for those of us with smaller budgets, there are lots of more affordable designs available through small independents and some High Street retailers. Here is a small selection of some of my favourite designs I’ve sourced and collated a shopping list below for you.
- 1. Muses ceramics – Ferm Living
- 2.Mirage reversible blanket – Ferm Living
- 3. Print – By James Wilson
- 4.Wallpaper – Murals wallpaper
- 5. Tote Bag – By James Wilson
- 6. Monsieur Henri Vase – Madame Stoltz
- 7.Black and white eye cushion – Rose & Grey Interiors
If you like the idea of surrounding yourself with some Matisse style art here are a few more wallpaper designs that have recently been launched by WallpaperMurals.
