Henri Matisse - Maison de la pensee Francaise - 1950 (1959)

Title: Henri Matisse - Maison de la pensee Francaise - 1950

Artist: Henri Matisse

Year of printing: 1959

Publisher / Printer: Mourlot

Origin: France

Technique: Original chromolithography on paper

Size (inc. mat): 40 x 30 cm.

Size image: 23.4 x 16.4 cm.

Professionally matted in acid-free museum quality mat-board.

Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (1869–1954) was a master of modern French art, globally renowned for his expressive use of colour and extraordinarily fluid, intuitive draughtsmanship. Though he worked extensively across printmaking and sculpture, his primary legacy remains anchored in painting. alongside his contemporary Pablo Picasso, Matisse is considered a pivotal figure who reshaped the trajectory of early 20th-century visual culture. His radical, vibrant compositions from 1900 to 1905 earned him notoriety as a leader of the Fauves ("wild beasts"). By 1906, his approach shifted toward a more structured aesthetic that celebrated flattened perspectives and intricate decorative patterns. Following a move to Nice on the French Riviera in 1917, his work took on a softer, more classical tone during the 1920s. The decades that followed saw an even bolder simplification of form, culminating in his final years when, restricted by failing health, he pioneered his legendary cut-paper collages (gouaches découpées).

This exquisite lithograph was produced by Mourlot Frères, the historic Parisian atelier that famously bridged the gap between commercial graphic design and fine art printmaking. Beginning in the 1930s with landmark commissions for the French National Museums—including exhibition posters for Delacroix, Daumier, and Manet—Mourlot transformed the poster into a respected collectible in its own right.

Concurrently, the workshop spearheaded a dramatic renaissance in limited-edition artist lithographs. While painters like Maurice de Vlaminck and Maurice Utrillo were early adopters at the studio, much of the avant-garde had neglected the medium during the early 1900s. This marked a sharp decline from the golden age of the 1880s, when masters like Jules Chéret, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard, and Édouard Vuillard had popularised the technique originally invented by Aloys Senefelder in the late 18th century.

The studio's modern legacy was forged when Fernand Mourlot (grandson of the founder) began encouraging a new generation of painters to draw directly onto lithographic stones. This hands-on process established a unique, highly collaborative relationship between master printer and artist that endures today.

A watershed moment for the atelier occurred in 1937, when Mourlot pulled two promotional posters—one by Bonnard and one by Matisse—for the Maîtres de l'Art indépendant exhibition at the Petit Palais. Struck by the unparalleled quality and tonal richness of the final prints, both artists immediately embraced the workshop, cementing Mourlot as Europe's premier fine art lithographer. This same year initiated a historic partnership with the visionary publisher Tériade for his iconic art review, Verve. In the post-war era, Mourlot became a creative hub where Matisse, Georges Braque, Bonnard, Georges Rouault, and Joan Miró regularly gathered to pull experimental prints for the publication. In 1945, Pablo Picasso also chose Mourlot for his intensive return to lithography, establishing a dedicated workspace in the atelier where he would paint on stone for months on end.

In 1959, a Monte Carlo publisher commissioned a comprehensive catalogue raisonné to permanently document these celebrated art posters. Though produced in a scaled-down format, these miniature plates were printed directly by Mourlot using traditional lithographic stones (occasionally enhanced with fine offset detailing). Because of the meticulous production standards and the direct involvement of the atelier, these compact editions are highly prized by collectors and are universally catalogued as an authentic part of the artists' graphic oeuvres.