Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in Nazi Occupied France

World War II impacted not only the everyday person in France but also artists, both French and those who emigrated to France, with the rise of Fascism, the collapse of the French state, and a state of uneasiness about the future. One artist, Henri Matisse, would use this turbulent time to create new work and get his name back into the international art conversation after decades of being a non-factor.

Matisse, at one point, was the leader of French and international art; his art was daring and provocative. But as he got older, a new generation passed him by, and his art was considered not as daring or as good. This book examines not only Matisse and the work he created while surrounded by the forces of Fascism at the coasts of southern France but also how the war and conflict impacted his life and the life of his family.

This book, obviously, covers more than just the years of World War II in Matisse’s life; it also covers his turbulent personal life during the inter-war period and the stagnation of his art. The best bits are his experiences during the war itself.