Henri Matisse

Sale: Sotheby's, London, 27th March 1957, lot 162
Alexander Iolas Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1983

London, The Hanover Gallery, Pen, Pencil & Paper, 1970, illustrated in the catalogue

James Joyce, Ulysses, New York, 1935, Book II, Episode XII, illustrated p. 166

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount at the upper two corners and floating in the overmount. There are two artist's pinholes to the upper left corner. There is a small repaired tear to the upper left corner and a further tiny vertical repaired tear to the centre of the upper edge. There is some extremely faint mount staining to parts of the extreme edges, a few very small and faint spots of discolouration in places, and a small area of paper skinning to the right part of the extreme upper edge. There is an extremely minor diagonal crease to the lower left corner. Otherwise, this work is in overall very good condition. Colours: fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though the yellow discolouration in the upper right corner is barely visible in the original.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Ever since its publication, James Joyce’s novel Ulysses has attracted outrage and celebration alike. Even in its initial serialised form, the work was banned in the USA in 1921, and the full novel was outlawed from the UK until 1936. The novel chronicles the passage of Leopold Bloom through Dublin during an ordinary day, 16th June 1904 (the day of Joyce's first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle). Ulysses is the Latinised name of Odysseus, the hero of Homer's poem The Odyssey, and the novel establishes a series of parallels between its characters and events and those of the poem. However, with its experimental prose and seemingly uncensored narrative, the piece is acclaimed as a towering achievement of modernist literature. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Ulyssesfirst on its list of the hundred best English-language novels of the 20th century.

It was an inspired move, therefore, when in 1933, the Limited Editions Club of New York approached Matisse to illustrate a new edition of Joyce’s seminal work. Matisse accepted the commission and embarked upon a series of drawings in preparation for the six etchings that were at that stage intended to illustrate the publication. The present work is one of those original charcoals, a rendering of Ulysses with Nausicaa and her attendants. The story of Nausicaa in Joyce’s work caused particular controversy as its sexual overtones challenged contemporary sensibilities, and it even led to a prosecution for obscenity.

Matisse’s sweeping strokes of charcoal and bold tonal variations add a wonderful sense of urgency to the dramatic scene, and the work is testament to his accomplished handling of this medium. In the end, Matisse was so pleased with these exquisite preparatory sketches that he insisted that they be used to illustrate the various chapters, instead of the etchings that were initially planned. This particular example is exciting for its evocation of so notorious a chapter of Joyce’s book. It also serves as a wonderful record of the iconic collaboration between two twentieth century artists, both pioneers in their own field and masters of modernism.