Heather James Fine Art is offering Buste Ancien, one of the earliest and best bronze sculptures by French artist Henri Matisse. One of the most innovative and influential artists of the 20th century, Matisse was a leading figure of Fauvism, and his work is exhibited in museum collections and exhibitions around the world. Best known for his colorful paintings and monochromatic drawings, Matisse turned to sculpture in 1899 to satisfy his interest in conquering weight and mass in his portrait work. “I did sculpture because what interested me in painting was to put order into my head,” the artist told Pierre Courthion in 1931, as quoted in Jack Flam’s 1986 book Matisse: The Man and His Art, 1869-1918. “I took up clay in order to have a rest from painting, in which I had done absolutely everything I could for the moment. … When I found it in sculpture, it served me

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