A major print exhibition featuring works by Henri Matisse opened on April 3 at the Times Art Museum, bringing together 100 prints that trace the artist's development from early line studies to his late cut-out works.
The Bathe in Color — A Journey of Lines, Body and Dreams exhibition is organized into five sections, including several interactive installations. According to the museum, the show aims to present a comprehensive view of Matisse's artistic trajectory, from his engagement with lines and forms to his association with Fauvism and his later experiments with paper cut-outs.
"Art should not only be admired from afar, but embraced," said Liu Weiwei, executive director of the museum, at the opening ceremony.
She emphasizes that the institution is not an inaccessible temple of art, but a haven one can turn to when feeling weary — where the quiet beauty of art flows like a gentle stream, nourishing the inner self amid the noise of everyday life.
Li Xiayu, a member of the curatorial team, outlines key aspects of Matisse's career, noting that his work responded to the social upheavals of his time through simplified forms and vivid color, and that his late-period cut-outs were developed after illness limited his mobility.
The exhibition includes works produced in collaboration with the Paris-based print workshops Mourlot Studios and Atelier Auval in the 1950s. These prints are considered significant for their technical quality and for Matisse's direct involvement in the printmaking process.
Among the works on display is La Gerbe (The Sheaf), a composition of radiant, highly saturated colors that reflects the visual language of Matisse's cut-out period, often cited as representative of his later style.
In addition to the artworks, the exhibition incorporates 11 interactive areas, including spaces focused on color mixing and collage-making, as well as a participatory installation where visitors can exchange written messages. The museum said these elements are intended to encourage engagement with the exhibition's theme.
The show runs through July 5.
