Ten Creative Talents Tell AD How Matisse Has Influenced Their Work
Photo courtesy of the Condé Nast Archives1/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-05-baldwin.jpg
Interior designer Billy Baldwin based the decor of client Woodson Taulbee’s Manhattan apartment on a Matisse drawing. The custom fabric is adapted from the artwork’s design.
Photo: © 2014 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and © Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent/Guy Marineau2/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-04-The-Sheaf.jpg
Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent looked to Matisse’s cutouts for his fall/winter 1980 haute couture collection. His black velvet and moiré faille evening dress with multicolor satin appliqué leaves was inspired by The Sheaf (shown).
Photo: © 2014 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York3/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-06-blue.jpg
In 1952, Matisse began “Blue Nudes,” a series of cutouts in blue and white that allowed him to focus on the human form. In the bath of fashion executive Carla Fendi’s Roman apartment, a “Blue Nude”–inspired stained-glass window is the focal point.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Sills4/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-08-stephen-sills.jpg
AD100 interior designer Stephen Sills also worked with original Matisses for a project on Long Island's North Shore (shown). “The first time I really realized the genius of Matisse was when I was in college and saw a reproduction of The Red Studio,” he says. “That’s when I was really getting immersed in interior design, and that entire canvas is divided into planes of rooms, furniture, and objects. It’s obviously a beautiful masterpiece but was for me just the beginning of the work I would soon discover from this truly amazing and inspiring artist.”
Photo: © 2014 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York5/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-07-snail.jpg
“As a child of five, Henri Matisse’s cutouts resonated with me,” says AD100 architect Lee F. Mindel “In my bedroom, with scissors and construction paper, I could relate to those works. Decades later, I was posed with a challenge and opportunity to work with one of Matisse’s greatest cutouts in a private residence. It was a work of art that had an animate persona, which inspired my design and architectural response to the space. Matisse’s work opened up both emotional and intellectual doors.”
The Snail by Matisse.
Photo courtesy of Sophie Theallet and photo: © 2014 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York6/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-09-chapel.jpg
French fashion designer and 2009 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner Sophie Theallet has also found inspiration in Matisse’s work. “Matisse was such a multitalented artist—everything he touched was magic,” she says. “I particularly love the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence; his artistic touch on the religious is mesmerizing. The light and clean lines convey the spiritual feeling with such a refreshingly new approach.”
The Dessert: Harmony in Red by Matisse. Photo courtesy of Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy7/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-10-red.jpg
New York interior designer Milly de Cabrol told AD: “One of my favorites is The Dessert: Harmony in Red. The red background, the deepness of the blue flowers on the wall, the window overlooking the green landscape, and the light-blue trees in the background. The softness of the woman preparing the dessert is what caught my eye—such a strong vibrant image with the softness of the woman’s presence. This color palette struck a chord in my heart, and I still use it in my work.”
The Fall of Icarus by Matisse. Photo © 2014 Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York8/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-11-icarus.jpg
AD100 designer Miles Redd, who often works in bold colors, had a stroke of luck last year. “I adore the cutouts and love a Matisse palette,” he says. “I received the Matisse Jazz book as a Christmas present, and it inspired my room for the Design on a Dime benefit.”
Photo courtesy of Stark9/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-12-mishan.jpg
“When I was in college years ago at NYU, I was in the Village and found a signed copy of Jazz with the foldout based on the cutouts,” says AD100 designer Richard Mishaan. “I bought it for $300. I was going to frame the pages and then realized they would be worth less if I did. I subsequently designed a line of outdoor fabric for Stark last year and based it all on Matisse.”
Photo: Luis Monteiro, courtesy of Duro Olowu, and Succession H. Matisse/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York10/10dam-images-daily-2014-10-henri-matisse-moma-henri-matisse-moma-13-duro-slide.jpg
Nigerian-born fashion designer Duro Olowu impressed AD with his vibrant prints on view at his recent show at Salon 94 More Material. “The paintings and collages of Henri Matisse have been and continue to be a great source of inspiration in the way I execute my fabric prints for my women’s wear collections,” he says. “In particular, Ivy in Flower. The work is a full-scale maquette for a stained-glass window. The juxtaposition of turquoise-blue, azure-blue, fuchsia, pink, and green on a sunflower-yellow background is astounding. It exudes a freedom and joie de vivre that I always strive for in my designs. It simply never fails to excite me."
Duro’s designs juxtaposed with Matisse’s Ivy in Flower.
