The Prédelles shown by Agnès Thurnauer in this exhibition, although they are paintings, have all the makings of a layout. In the one set against a ceramic essay by the master for the Descent from the Cross in the chapel in Vence, the same word, "Painting", wanders through the paintings. It goes up then down. It is cut there, then here. The background is plain. Neutral but in color. This body of work is reminiscent of a lithographed case made by Matisse to accompany the writing of André Rouveyre in 1952 on Apollinaire. The same research on the arrangement of syllables in space, similar work of hyphenation and sobriety of color in which the title is reserved ... By exploring the equivalences between their two bodies of work, the Nice museum guides the eye to a less recognized part of the production of Matisse: his illustrated books.

Extract from the article by Emma Noyant published in the N°104 de la revue Art Absolument. Published February 3, 2023

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