Henri Matisse, Three Heads. To Friendship, from Apollinaire, 1952
By Henri Matisse
Located in Southampton, NY
This exquisite aquatint by Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled Trois têtes. A l'amitié (Three Heads. To Friendship), from the album Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse), originates from the 1952 edition published by Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, April 24, 1952. The work captures Matisses lyrical line and expressive minimalism, paying tribute to the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire through a synthesis of portraiture and calligraphic grace.
Executed as an aquatint on velin a la forme des papeteries d'Arches paper, this work measures 12.99 x 9.84 inches (33 x 25 cm). Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the superior craftsmanship of Mourlot Freres, Paris.
Artwork Details:
Artist: Henri Matisse (1869–1954)
Title: Trois têtes. A l'amitié (Three Heads. To Friendship), from the album Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse)
Medium: Aquatint on velin a la forme des papeteries d'Arches paper
Dimensions: 12.99 x 9.84 inches (33 x 25 cm)
Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued
Date: 1952
Publisher: Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris
Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris
Catalogue Raisonne Reference: Duthuit, Claude. Henri Matisse: Catalogue raisonne des ouvrages illustres. Editions Claude Duthuit, Paris, 1988, illustration 31.
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the album Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse), published by Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris; printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1952
Notes:
Excerpted from the album (translated from French), Printing of this album was finished on April, Twenty-Four, M.CM.LII for the Editions Raisons d'etre, 2 rue des Beaux-Arts in Paris, was produced by Fernand Mourlot, based on the models of Henri Matisse. The eight original lithographs were shot on the presses of Mourlot Freres who also printed the cover and case composed by the artist. The stones were erased after drawing. The text and letrins engraved by Henri Matisse were drawn by Coulouma S.A., printer in Paris. Justification of the draw— XXX examples on large velin d'Arches a la forme, signed by the author and the artist, accompanied by a series of original lithographs numbered from I to XXX; CCC examples on velin d'Arches a la forme numbered from XXXI to CCCXXX; XX examples of non-commerce collaborators numbered from I to XX and in addition a few nominative examples on Grand Velin.
About the Publication:
Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse), published by Editions Raisons d'etre, Paris, in 1952, stands among Matisses most intimate artist’s albums, conceived as a visual homage to the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, whose friendship and creative influence had profoundly shaped the avant-garde in the early 20th century. The album unites Matisses mastery of line with his reverence for literature, pairing portraits, decorative initials, and typographic designs engraved in his own hand. Printed by the esteemed atelier Mourlot Freres, the volume exemplifies the peak of French postwar printmaking, merging literary refinement with visual purity. Each print reveals Matisses poetic sensibility—his ability to render emotion through the economy of contour and rhythm.
About the Artist:
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker whose revolutionary vision redefined modern art through his daring use of color, line, and form. Celebrated as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Matisse led the Fauvist movement and devoted his life to the pursuit of balance, beauty, and emotional expression in visual art. His early works burst with vibrant hues and liberated brushwork, while his later “cut-out” compositions achieved a poetic simplicity that transformed the relationship between color and space. Deeply influenced by the work of Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat, as well as by the rhythmic patterns of Islamic art, Byzantine mosaics, and Japanese prints, Matisse forged a new visual language that celebrated joy, movement, and serenity. He was part of an extraordinary generation of artists who shaped the evolution of modernism, maintaining lifelong dialogue and friendly rivalry with contemporaries such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Andre Derain, Albert Marquet, and Raoul Dufy—peers who, like him, sought to expand the expressive potential of color and composition. Matisses influence extended across generations, inspiring modern and contemporary masters including Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, each of whom drew upon his fearless experimentation and refined visual harmony. His paintings, sculptures, and works on paper are held in the most prestigious museums in the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Tate, and the Hermitage Museum, where his art continues to symbolize the essence of creativity and human emotion. The highest price ever paid for a Henri Matisse artwork is approximately 80.8 million USD, achieved in 2018 at Christies New York for Odalisque couchee aux magnolias (1923).
Henri Matisse Trois têtes. A l'amitié (Three Heads. To Friendship) Apollinaire, Henri Matisse (Apollinaire, Henri Matisse) 1952, Matisse Editions Raisons d'etre, Matisse Mourlot Freres, Matisse aquatint...
Category
1950s Fauvist Martin Puryear Art
