Prints, Hand-Signed Artwork, Lithographs For Sale

We have a lovely selection of Matisse prints for sale, including examples of his printed artwork from throughout his career. The simplicity of some of these works on paper is exquisite and masterful. He uses a few fluid lines to suggest a figure or form when depicting his subjects. Small, intimate portraits of his friends were his favourite subject for etching, but when drawing on the printing stone, he rarely deviated from the study of the female form.

Henri Matisse was an avid printmaker, working in a variety of media, including linocuts, woodcuts, lithographs, etchings, and aquatints.
While he is best known as a painter, he was also a prolific draughtsman and printmaker, creating over 800 prints using a variety of methods, from linocuts and woodcuts to lithography and etching. He was constantly expanding his knowledge of printing techniques. His approach to prints was just as groundbreaking as his painting style.

Matisse worked tirelessly throughout his life to create artwork that exuded a sense of calm. During his artistic career, Matisse was particularly interested in lithography. He was drawn to graphic art approaches when he wanted a break from the rigorous medium of oil paint, or when he needed the self-imposed limitation of black and white to help him work through a painting problem.

He made more etchings than lithographs, but his lithography is more fully realised and played a larger role in Matisse’s artistic development. Although many of Matisse’s lithographs were in black and white, retaining the same sense of spontaneity and intimacy as his pencil sketches, by the mid 1930s he was focusing more heavily on colour lithography. Matisse is rightly regarded as a master of colour, but his prints demonstrate that he was equally expressive — and as versatile — in black and white.

At the renowned Atelier Mourlot in Paris, Matisse created over 100 unique lithographs. Often limited to editions of 25 to 50, the lithographs featured serial imagery such as reclining nudists, interiors, and portraits. The artist eventually installed a printing press in his own studio, so he could work more avidly with the medium. Towards the end of his life, Matisse also created a suite of 39 lithographs which recreated his famous paper cut-outs.

Matisse’s printed oeuvre is comprised of highly collectible works by this outstanding Modern Artist. Matisse’s aquatints, etchings, and lithographs are highly prized and sought-after works. These editions are unquestionably more affordable to collect, but they do not lack in beauty, mastery, or value. Browse our collection of original and authentic Matisse prints.