During the final years of his career, pioneering Fauvist Henri Matisse reinvented himself through the medium of the cut-out gouache. Confined to bed and unable to paint in the traditional way, Matisse reimagined his practice, cutting directly into color to forge a bold new language of form, movement, and light.

This major retrospective—the first of its kind in France—retraces the artist’s journey from 1941 to 1954 by bringing together more than 230 works from the Centre Pompidou collection and international loans. A vibrant atmosphere of pure color and striking simplicity illuminates the French master’s creative renewal despite his physical limitations. An immersive experience, this exhibition unveils a rich, multidisciplinary practice in which painting, drawing, illustration, textiles, and stained glass converge in a dynamic equilibrium.