Matisse at War

By: Christopher C. Gorham

Narrated by: Paul Woodson

In 1940, with the Nazis sweeping through France, Henri Matisse found himself at a personal and artistic crossroads. His marriage had ended, he was gravely ill, and after decades at the forefront of modern art, he was beset by doubt. As scores of famous figures escaped the country, Matisse took refuge in Nice, with his companion, Lydia. By defiantly remaining, Matisse was a source of inspiration for his nation.

While enemy agents and Resistance fighters played cat-and-mouse in the alleyways of Nice, Matisse's son, Jean, engaged in sabotage efforts with the Allies. In Paris, under the swastika, Matisse's estranged wife worked for the Communist underground. His daughter, Marguerite, active in the French Resistance, was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, sentenced to Ravensbruck concentration camp—and miraculously escaped when her train was halted by Allied bombs. His younger son, Pierre helped Jewish artists escape to New York; even his grandson risked his life by defying the Germans and their Vichy collaborators. Amidst this chaos, Matisse responded to the dark days of war by inventing a dazzling new paper technique that led to some of his most iconic pieces, including The Fall of Icarus, his profile of Charles De Gaulle, Monsieur Loyal, and his groundbreaking cut-out book, Jazz. His wartime works were acts of resistance, subtly patriotic, and daringly new.

©2025 Christopher C. Gorham (P)2025 Tantor Media

The title is misleading, but it was interesting

The book is actually a biography of Matisse, starting well before World War II. There is also discussion about much of his art. At some point, the book focuses on his life during World War II, but it is somewhat a stretch to connect the art to the resistance. Some of Matisse's family were active in various resistance efforts, but Matisse was quite old and not well, and his "resistance" mostly consisted of him not willing to be an exile and his continuing to paint. The connections between resistance and his work were often rather loose. I got a feeling that the author thought that another biography of Matisse might not be of such interest (there are several), but if he added the angle of WWII, the book might be of greater interest. That description did lure me. I did learn quite a bit about Matisse that I didn't know (he is not one of my favorite artists, and I only like a few of his works), and the book was fairly interesting. The narrator was good, his French accent (to me, who knows just a bit of French) quite good. But he totally botched the one Hebrew word (tekhelet, the azure blue mentioned in the Bible, which he pronounced teleket) in the book. I would think he could have asked someone.

Understanding the Artist

I was unaware of the artist’s life during WW II. This book gave me outstanding knowledge of his work during this period.

Modern Art meets Fascism and Fascism loses

Hitler, failed artist, died in a besieged bunker. Matisse worked on a Dominican chapel as an expression of his profound understanding of the world. This was his last work in a long and fulfilling life. The book details the conflict between idiotic dictators and the modern world. I am so glad the good guys won.

Stunning

Matisse’s singular vision, strength and courage fill these pages! The chilling part of all this is how closely what Hitler did to artists is very similar to what is happening in our own time. The only question… will our resistance be as brave as the French resistance? The riveting story of Matisse‘s daughter, and what she endured, is a reminder of what the human spirit can do. This book sends on the great artist, who is surrounded by the women who take care of him, who inspire him and who keep him alive! I recommend this book Haely!