Many of Matisse’s prints, particularly his lithographs of Odalisques such as Repos sur la banquette (1929) and Odalisque, brasero et coupe de fruits (1929), feature the same lavish detail as his paintings. However, etchings like Jeune fille au chapeau devant la glace (1931) demonstrate his ability to convey a subject in just a few lines. Praised for his mastery of colour, Matisse was as expressive and versatile in black and white.
He also never stopped learning new printing techniques. He made his first aquatints, for example, in the early 1930s at the age of 62, and did not engage seriously with the medium until his late seventies. These works, such as Bédouine au grande voile, with their bold black lines against fields of unprinted white paper, look strikingly like his brush and India ink paintings.
Matisse’s prints have a strong market across the board — led by the aquatints, closely followed by the lithographs and then the etchings.
