Henri Matisse — "Une fleur"

Henri Matisse (1869–1954) is one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. As a leading figure of Fauvism and a lifelong revolutionary of colour and form, Matisse transformed the way the world sees art. From his radical colour experiments that scandalised the Paris Salon of 1905 to the sublime paper cut-outs of his final years, he pursued a single, unwavering vision: to create art that would be, in his own words, 'like a good armchair which provides relaxation from physical fatigue.' His influence extends from Picasso — who considered Matisse his only true rival — to every generation of artists that followed.

This original coloured pencil drawing depicts a stylised flower in red and blue on the letterhead of the Éditions de la Revue Verve, 4 Rue Férou, Paris (VIe). The Revue Verve was one of the most important art publications of the twentieth century, founded by Tériade in 1937, and Matisse contributed some of his most celebrated graphic works to its pages. To draw directly on the journal's letterhead was an intimate, spontaneous gesture — the kind of private moment that reveals the artist at his most unguarded.

The verso bears a handwritten dedication 'à Pierre Brune' signed 'H Matisse'. Pierre Brune (1887–1956) was a French painter and close associate of Matisse in the South of France — a friendship forged in the luminous light of the Mediterranean that shaped both their lives. This personal dedication transforms the drawing from a work of art into a document of human connection between two artists.

Provenance labels from André Chenue (art transport, Paris), the auction house Dobiaschofsky (founded 1923, lot 126), and Sotheby's trace the work's journey from Brune's studio through some of Europe's most distinguished auction houses to its present home in a Swiss Private Collection.

Provenance & Details