This exquisite lithograph after Henri Matisse (1869–1954), titled La Gerbe (The Sheaf), from Dernieres Oeuvres de Matisse 1950-1954 (Last Works of Matisse 1950-1954), Verve: Revue Artistique et Litteraire, Vol. IX, No. 35-36, originates from the July 28, 1958 issue published by Editions de la revue Verve, Paris, under the direction of Teriade, Editeur, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1958. This visionary composition reflects Matisse’s late mastery of form and color, translating his celebrated cut-out aesthetic into the lithographic medium with remarkable clarity and vibrancy.
Executed as a lithograph on velin du Marais paper, this work measures 14 x 21 inches (35.56 x 53.34 cm), with centerfold and stitch perforations as issued. Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of the Mourlot Freres atelier, renowned for its collaborations with the greatest modern masters of the 20th century.
Artwork Details:
Artist: After Henri Matisse (1869–1954)
Title: La Gerbe (The Sheaf)
Medium: Lithograph on velin du Marais paper
Dimensions: 14 x 21 inches (35.56 x 53.34 cm), with centerfold and stitch perforations as issued
Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued
Date: 1958
Publisher: Editions de la revue Verve, Paris, under the direction of Teriade, Editeur, Paris
Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris
Catalogue raisonne references: Duthuit, Claude. Henri Matisse: Catalogue raisonne des ouvrages illustres. Editions Claude Duthuit, Paris, 1988, illustration 139.
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From Dernieres Oeuvres de Matisse 1950-1954 (Last Works of Matisse 1950-1954), Verve: Revue Artistique et Litteraire, Vol. IX, No. 35-36, published by Editions de la revue Verve, Paris, 1958
Notes:
Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), This double issue of VERVE is entirely devoted to the last works of Henri Matisse-1950-1954. These works, rendered in color litbography, were made by the artist, in gouache papers, cut with scissors and glued. They are accompanied by drawings executed during the same period or before. Matisse specially composed the cover of this album. Under his direction were drawn, during the year 1954, the first of these lithographic plates. The work was completed on July 28, 1958 by Mourlot Freres for lithography and by Master Printers Draeger Freres for heliogravures and typography.
About the Publication:
Dernieres Oeuvres de Matisse 1950-1954 (Last Works of Matisse 1950-1954), published as Verve Vol. IX, No. 35-36 on July 28, 1958, represents one of the most important posthumous tributes to Henri Matisse’s final period of artistic production. Conceived and directed by the visionary publisher Teriade, this issue of Verve is entirely dedicated to the works Matisse created between 1950 and 1954, a period defined by his pioneering cut-out technique. Produced in Paris with exceptional technical precision, the publication brings together color lithographs faithfully reproducing Matisse’s gouache cut-outs alongside a selection of drawings executed during the same period or earlier. The lithographs were printed by Mourlot Freres, while Draeger Freres oversaw the heliogravures and typography, ensuring the highest level of craftsmanship. The project was initiated under Matisse’s direct supervision in 1954, with the artist guiding the early stages of translation from original cut paper compositions into lithographic form. As part of the broader legacy of Verve, one of the most influential artistic and literary publications of the twentieth century, this issue stands as a monumental record of Matisse’s final innovations, preserving the essence of his late style and affirming his enduring impact on modern art.
About the Artist:
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French painter, sculptor, draughtsman, and printmaker whose revolutionary vision redefined modern art through his daring use of color, line, and form. Celebrated as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Matisse led the Fauvist movement and devoted his life to the pursuit of balance, beauty, and emotional expression in visual art. His early works burst with vibrant hues and liberated brushwork, while his later “cut-out” compositions achieved a poetic simplicity that transformed the relationship between color and space. Deeply influenced by the work of Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Georges Seurat, as well as by the rhythmic patterns of Islamic art, Byzantine mosaics, and Japanese prints, Matisse forged a new visual language that celebrated joy, movement, and serenity. He was part of an extraordinary generation of artists who shaped the evolution of modernism, maintaining lifelong dialogue and friendly rivalry with contemporaries such as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Andre Derain, Albert Marquet, and Raoul Dufy—peers who, like him, sought to expand the expressive potential of color and composition. Matisses influence extended across generations, inspiring modern and contemporary masters including Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, each of whom drew upon his fearless experimentation and refined visual harmony. His paintings, sculptures, and works on paper are held in the most prestigious museums in the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Centre Pompidou, the Tate, and the Hermitage Museum, where his art continues to symbolize the essence of creativity and human emotion. The highest price ever paid for a Henri Matisse artwork is approximately 80.8 million USD, achieved in 2018 at Christies New York for Odalisque couchee aux magnolias (1923).
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