Henri Matisse, Back Cover for Verve Vol. I (Cut-Out Design), 1937, Lithograph

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1937 Henri Matisse — Back Cover Lithograph for Verve Vol. I (Cut-Out Design), Framed. A swirl of silken ribbons glides … Read more 1937 Henri Matisse — Back Cover Lithograph for Verve Vol. I (Cut-Out Design), Framed. A swirl of silken ribbons glides above abstract dove-forms on a bold field of blue and vermilion—this is the original back-cover lithograph created by Henri Matisse for the inaugural issue of Verve (Paris, 1937). Printed by Mourlot Frères from Matisse’s paper-cut maquette, it mirrors the celebrated front cover while offering its own choreography of colour and weightless line. Technical Details Artist Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) Title Verve Vol. I No. 1 — Back Cover Date 1937 Medium Original colour lithograph on wove paper Printer Mourlot Frères, Paris Design source Paper-cut collage (gouaches découpées) Signature Unsigned, as issued Edition 2 000 copies Framed 43 h × 35.5 w × 1.3 d cm · 17 × 14 × 0.5 in Provenance European private collection; documentation supplied Condition Very good vintage state. Colours vivid; minor handling marks and faint surface scuffs consistent with 1930s paper. No tears or restorations. Presentation Matted in off-white board and set in a black-lacquer wooden frame. Frame shown is an example; a new frame of identical spec will be produced after purchase. Why Collectors Value This Back Cover Printed at Mourlot, atelier of choice for Matisse, Picasso & Chagall Showcases Matisse’s iconic cut-out aesthetic years before the 1940s “Jazz” series Ready-to-hang framing. Scarcer on the market than the front cover; many originals lost to time Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) Pioneer of modern art and co-founder of Fauvism, Henri Matisse evolved from bold, emotive brushwork to the lyrical “gouaches découpées” that redefined colour and form in his later years. Exhibited in every major European avant-garde salon before 1914, he went on to inspire generations with the Jazz portfolio (1947) and the chapel of Vence (1951). Today his work anchors the collections of MoMA, the Tate and the Centre Pompidou, confirming his legacy as “the painter of happiness” and a master of 20th-century visual poetry. See less