Late in his life, confined to a chair or bed, Matisse transformed a simple technique into a medium for the creation of a major art. I have attained a form filtered to its essentials. Cutting dynamic shapes from painted paper, Matisse created his images. While producing pieces for Jazz, the artist used a large brush to write notes to himself on construction paper. The simple visual appearance of the words pleased Matisse, and he suggested using his reflective handwritten thoughts in juxtaposition with the images. The original edition of Jazz was an artist s book, printed in a limited quantity. This selection from the original is an exquisite suite of color plates and text that, like the music it was named for, was invented in a spirit of improvisation and spontaneity. These magnificent cut-outs of pure color celebrate the radiance and emotional intensity of the artist s oeuvre. "

In 1941 the Swiss art critic Pierre Courthion interviewed Henri Matisse while the artist was in bed recovering from a serious operation. It was an extensive interview, seen at the time as a vital assessment of Matisse's career and set to be published by Albert Skira's then newly established Swiss press. After months of complicated discussions between Courthion and Matisse, and just weeks before the book was to come out-the artist even had approved the cover design-Matisse suddenly refused its publication. A typescript of the interview now resides in Courthion's papers at the Getty Research Institute.; This rich conversation, conducted during the Nazi occupation of France, is published for the first time in this volume, where it appears both in English translation and in the original French version. Matisse unravels memories of his youth and his life as a bohemian student in Gustave Moreau's atelier. He recounts his experience with collectors, including Alfred Barnes. He discusses fame, writers, musicians, politicians, and, most fascinatingly, his travels. Chatting with Henri Matisse, introduced by Serge Guilbaut, contains a preface by Claude Duthuit, Matisse's grandson, and essays by Yve-Alain Bois and Laurence Bertrand Dorleac. The book includes unpublished correspondence and other original documents related to Courthion's interview and abounds with details about avant-garde life, tactics, and artistic creativity in the first half of the twentieth century.

In 1995, Welcome Books published the star of its "Art and Poetry" series, "Dance Me to the End of Love", a deliriously romantic song by Leonard Cohen visualized through the warm, spirited paintings and collages of Henri Matisse. Now, for its 10-year anniversary, Welcome presents a new edition of "Dance Me to the End of Love" featuring a revised design. Cohen's song is a lyrical tribute to the miracle of love, the grace it bestows on us, and its healing power. Originally recorded on his "Various Positions" album, and featured in Cohen's anthology, "Stranger Music", this poetic song is gloriously married to artwork by Henri Matisse, perhaps the greatest artist of the twentieth century. "I had this dance within me for a long time," Matisse once said in describing one of his murals. "Dance Me to the End of Love" is the perfect book for art lovers, song lovers, and all other lovers as well.

pIjHa' vuDchaj rIch meHghem chenmoHwI'pu' law' 'a HenrI' matIS'e', pImbej. DIjchu' 'ej qechDaj Delchu' je. vIraS DIjwI'vam noyqu' meqmey Dayajqu'meH ghItlhvam 'IH yIHaD 'ej mu'meyDaj 'ey tItIv.

The Museum Of Modern Art, November 13, 1951 To January 13, 1952; The Cleveland Museum Of Art, February 5 To March 16, 1952; The Art Institute Of Chicago, April 1 To May 4, 1952; The San Francisco Museum Of Art, May 22 To July 6, 1952.

The Museum Of Modern Art, November 13, 1951 To January 13, 1952; The Cleveland Museum Of Art, February 5 To March 16, 1952; The Art Institute Of Chicago, April 1 To May 4, 1952; The San Francisco Museum Of Art, May 22 To July 6, 1952.