Alex Katz Henri Matisse – Alex Katz. The Silence of Painting

The Musée Matisse Nice explores contemporary perceptions of the work of Henri Matisse (1869–1954). This year, it is hosting a temporary exhibition dedicated to Alex Katz (born in 1927), a leading figure in American painting.

The encounter between Henri Matisse and Alex Katz forms part of a vast cultural history linking France and the United States. Henri Matisse’s work was exhibited across the Atlantic from 1908 onwards and played a part in introducing the American public to the most avant-garde developments in European art. [...]

Designed in collaboration with the artist himself, 'Henri Matisse – Alex Katz. The Silence of Painting' offers a new display of the museum’s collections, in which Alex Katz’s works resonate with those of Henri Matisse. [...]

Thanks to its broad chronological scope, the exhibition offers visitors the chance to explore Alex Katz’s body of work, from his earliest pieces (Nude, 1951) to his most recent works (Lilies 13, 2025). Paintings, drawings, collages and prints from the artist’s studio invite the public to revisit the museum’s collections—which themselves originate from Matisse’s studio—through a contemporary lens, and highlight the enduring relevance of his work.

Curated by: Aymeric Jeudy, director of the Musée Matisse Nice and associate researcher at the Centre for the Modern and Contemporary Mediterranean (University of Nice Côte d’Azur)