Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in Nazi Occupied France

During World War II, Henri Matisse and his family remained in Nazi-occupied France rather than evacuate. This book examines their involvement in the Resistance and the artistic work Matisse created during this period. In 1940, as Nazi forces advanced through France, Matisse faced personal and artistic crisis: his 42-year marriage had ended and he was seriously ill. He settled in Nice with his companion, Lydia Delectorskaya. While remaining in France, Matisse became a source of inspiration for his nation. His family members actively resisted the occupation: his son Jean engaged in sabotage with the Allies, his estranged wife Amélie worked for the Communist underground in Paris, his daughter Marguerite was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo before being sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp (from which she escaped when Allied bombs halted her transport), his younger son Pierre helped Jewish artists reach New York, and his teenage grandson defied German and Vichy forces. During the war, Matisse developed a new paper-cutting technique that produced iconic works including The Fall of Icarus, a profile of Charles De Gaulle, Monsieur Loyal, and the cut-out book Jazz. These wartime pieces served as acts of resistance, subtly patriotic and formally innovative. Drawing on letters and other sources, this account reveals Matisse's reinvention during this period and his creation of significant work amid wartime suffering.