Matisse: Life and spirit is staged in nine chronological chapters, from ‘Towards fauvism (1895–1909)’ to ‘The cut-outs (1930–54)’, each offering a particular argument about Matisse’s work at that time. In ‘Towards fauvism (1895–1909)’ and ‘The radical years (1914–18)’, for example, we see Matisse becoming the great modern master of colour: the earlier section reveals his struggles to paint form through colour, the latter includes the remarkable French window at Collioure (Porte-fenêtre à Collioure) from 1914 – intense colour, radically simple composition – an open door between two ravishing paintings of the Nice harbour foreshore from the hotel window. One is the famous Interior, goldfish bowl (Intérieur, bocal de poissons rouges) (1914), its delicious play between blues and greens held in suspension by those orange fish at the centre of the painting. This is glorious: we float in the painting’s blue pool.

Other sections are equally persuasive. ‘A parallel search (1909–30)’ investigates how Matisse’s sculpture informed his painting, and vice versa, a practice that continued throughout his life; remarkably, it includes the massive bronze panels Backs I-IV (originally dating from 1909–30), which are usually on display in Paris. The Backs are directly opposite the brilliant concatenating patterns of Decorative figure on an ornamental background (Figure décorative sur fond ornamental) of 1925–26, the nude’s ramrod back answering those in the sculptural works. In fact, a strength of the show is that each section features wonderful works. Almost the first painting one sees is the splendid La luxe I (1907), with its improbably monumental nude women on a Mediterranean beach, and together the Centre Pompidou’s Aurélie Verdier and the AGNSW’s Justin Paton and Jackie Dunn have mined Matisse’s prodigious oeuvre to anchor each section with superlative works.

Henri Matisse, Figure décorative sur fond ornemental (‘Decorative figure on an ornamental background’), 1925 (photograph courtesy of the Art Gallery of New South Wales)

The thesis of each of these exhibition chapters, or moments, is backed up by pithy summaries in the handsome publication and with illustrations of every work, like an old-fashioned exhibition catalogue. And in the accompanying suite of focused essays, Paton’s ‘Lateness. Lightness. Matisse’ is particularly fine. This consideration of Matisse’s work is always informed by the sense of the artist’s living practice, and how it was secured by constant experimentation. What now looks effortless, sensuous, serene was always the result of unceasing labour in the studio. This is demonstrated by generous selections from the artist’s drawings, and by the judicious use of archival films showing Matisse’s creative energy: look for the film showing Matisse working on the celebrated Barnes murals in the early 1930s, accompanied by his dog Raudi. This is a scholarly show, beautifully structured, thoughtfully designed, and dense with information, but it wears its learning lightly: one captivating wall text mentions ‘flustered brushwork’ in Lorette with coffee cup (Lorette à la tasse de café) of 1917.

The curators (and distinguished catalogue essayists, including Roger Benjamin) draw attention to the importance of travel for Matisse; he deliberately sought fresh inspiration, renewed drive, from outside the conventions of European art. Matisse’s 1930 voyage to Tahiti, for instance – his delight in the blue of the Pacific, and his interest in tivaevae, the local cut-applique quilts – is given special emphasis; the exhibition features a particularly rich selection of the late cut-outs that eventually developed from this inspiration, including the phenomenal 1952 La tristesse du roi (Sadness of the king), with its risky colour combinations; this sits alongside the Gallery’s own example of the celebrated prints from the book Jazz (1947). This final room is a cracker, and with it the exhibition ends on a high note, a tribute to that lifetime of undimmed effort. Before that, in the Gallery’s great double-height space, there is a breathtaking evocation of the famous Chapel of the Rosary (1948–51) at Vence, in the south of France, using film as well as works of art. It is lively: architect Richard Johnson, the exhibition’s designer, bounces light off white ceramic tiles at the entrance in a nod to the Vence building. It is surely the next best thing to actually being there.

Henri Matisse, La tristesse du roi (‘The sorrow of the king’), 1952 (photograph courtesy of the Art Gallery of New South Wales)

I am struck by how this show is grounded in local and current interests, which is emerging as the AGNSW’s hallmark when presenting exhibitions of historical art. The living connection with Pacific Islander culture is seen in the accompanying project Matisse Alive, and the loan to the Gallery of precious tivaevae by members of Sydney’s Islander communities. Importantly, Matisse: Life and spirit essays a more subtle handling than usual of the role of women in Matisse’s life: as models, as inspiration, as studio assistants who became increasingly important collaborators when the elderly artist was physically incapacitated and, since he could no longer paint, took to making cut-out with scissors. Their crucial roles are explicitly acknowledged in the intelligent wall texts and in documentary photographs; in the fluid expansive ink drawing Nude seated on a bench (Nu assis sur une banquette devant une glace) of 1937, we see the truncated reflection of the artist himself in the studio, intent on his model. (Hilary Spurling dedicated her authoritative two-volume biography of Matisse to his wife Amélie, describing her as ‘its heroine’.)

Given the centrality of women in Matisse’s life and work, it’s fitting that the four major commissions from contemporary artists in Matisse Alive are by women: Nina Chanel Abney (United States), Robin White (Aotearoa New Zealand), Sally Smart (Australia), and Angela Tiatia (Australia). White’s four huge paintings on bark cloth, made principally with Ebonie Fifita, are outstanding: her long residence in in Kiribati in the 1980s and 1990s, and her constant travels in the region since, show in her supremely confident melding of contemporary and historical references in arresting paintings of island interiors: here, past and present co-exist, the Pacific is alive with all the artists who have loved it. Matisse is there, still.

Matisse: Life and spirit is the last major loan exhibition at the current Art Gallery building before Sydney Modern opens in late 2022. It is not to be missed.

Matisse: Life and spirit is on at the Art Gallery of New South Wales until 13 March 2022. The hardback publication is $50.

This article is supported by the Copyright Agency’s Cultural Fund.