Matisse in the Studio

Matisse in the Studio is the follow-up exhibition to Matisse and his Textiles - it was worth the 12 year wait. Yay. It is on at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, until November. These exhibitions are ususally globe-trotters, so who knows where you can catch it next.

Matisse loved his objects, and they informed his work. Here, you can see them side-by-side. Some, like a favourite chocolate pot, surface again and again, over decades. A Venetian shell-like chair, African masks - it is an intriguing reveal to see the actual object and how Matisse interpreted it in his work.

Of course, in his later years, Matisse did his paper cut-outs. It is fascinating to see the system he used to plan them. A string horizon line, then shuffle the pinned painted paper shapes, until the perfect arrangement was achieved. 

Can't complain about "exit through the gift shop", either - good choice of cards and fridge magnets. (Often you go to an exhibition, and the postcard you were hoping for is absent.)