Matisse, Derain and Friends
The Paris Avantgarde 1904–1908
At the outset of the twentieth century, a loosely affiliated group of artists centring around Henri Matisse, André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck conducted revolutionary experiments in color. The name Fauves was bestowed on the group in 1905 by art critic Louis Vauxcelles. He first employed “fauves” in one of his articles; the term, which in English translates as “wild beasts” or “wild animals”, was intended to characterise the clique of artists who remained little known prior to 1905. It was in the group’s expressive approach to the application of color, its striking, often virulent color schemes, as well the rejection of naturalistic renderings of local colors, that Vauxcelles discerned the break with academic precedent.
André Derain, «La danse», 1906, Privatsammlung, © 2023, ProLitteris, Zurich
Fauvism was to emerge as the twentieth-century’s premier avant-garde movement. For a brief period between the years 1904–1908, it set the pace in the Paris art scene, whereby its impact endured long into the future. Georges Braque, Raoul Dufy and Kees van Dongen, among others, were to later join the movement. Fauvism coincided with the Belle Époque, an era which heralded the rapid rise of urban mass society. Fast-emerging mobility and the nascent advertising and tourism industries.
Albert Marquet, «Affiches à Trouville», 1906, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney
This comprehensive special exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel shows the Fauves’ outstanding experimentation with color. Conventional perceptions as to the style of this movement, which left such an indelible stamp on modernism, are also called into question. The show features work by the artists Émilie Charmy and Marie Laurencin, and thus for the first time provides insights into the trade in Fauvist art, a trade in which gallerist Berthe Weill was to play a decisive role.
André Derain, La femme en chemise, 1905, Statens Museum for Kunst, Kopenhagen © 2023, ProLitteris, Zurich
Online ticket
Buy your online ticket now.
Audioguide
The audio guide to the exhibition is available for CHF 6. The museum provides audio guide listening devices. The audio guide is available in German, English and French.
Catalogue
The catalogue of the exhibition with texts by Elena Degen, Arthur Fink, Claudine Grammont, Josef Helfenstein, Gabrielle Houbre, Béatrice Joyeux-Prunel, Peter Kropmanns, Maureen Murphy and Pascal Rousseau.
The exhibition is supported by:
- Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne
- Bundesamt für Kultur (BAK)
- Credit Suisse (Schweiz) AG
- Isaac Dreyfus-Bernheim Stiftung
- Karin Endress
- Simone & Peter Forcart-Staehelin
- Rita & Christoph Gloor
- Dr. Urs Gloor & Hardy Happle
- Dorette Gloor-Krayer
- Annetta Grisard-Schrafl
- HEIVISCH
- Stiftung für das Kunstmuseum Basel
- Trafina Privatbank AG
- und anonyme Gönnerinnen und Gönner
Media partner:
- bz - Zeitung für die Region Basel
Events for this exhibition
NEUBAU
14:00–15:00
Visite guidée de l'exposition «Matisse, Derain et leurs amis. L’avant-garde parisienne des années 1904–1908»
Coût: Entrée + CHF 5
Matisse meets Montessori
NEUBAU Eventfoyer
10:00–16:00
Matisse meets Montessori - Das grosse Sonntagsatelier
Lass dich inspirieren von Matisse, Derain und ihren Freund:innen und werde in unserem Foyer kreativ. Hier kannst du deine Gefühle frei zu Papier bringen, deine Liebsten zeichnen, so wie du sie siehst, einen Bewegungsparcours gestalten oder dich in einer selbstgebauten Höhle verkriechen. Ein Raum zum selbstbestimmten Experimentieren, Spielen, Erforschen und Verlernen im Sinne der Reformpädagogin Maria Montessori. Kostenlose Teilnahme.
NEUBAU
14:00–15:00
Guided tour "Matisse, Derain and friends. The Paris Avantgarde 1904–1908"
Cost: Admission + CHF 5
NEUBAU
14:00–15:00
Guided tour of the exhibition «Matisse, Derain and Friends. The Paris Avantgarde 1904–1908»
Cost: Admission + CHF 5
RENDEZ-VOUS AM MITTAG
NEUBAU
12:30–13:00
Rendez-vous at noon: «Matisse, Derain and Friends. The Paris Avantgarde 1904–1908»
With research assistant Elena Degen. Cost: Admission
NEUBAU
14:00–15:00
Guided tour of the exhibition «Matisse, Derain and Friends. The Paris Avantgarde 1904–1908»
Cost: Admission + CHF 5
NEUBAU
14:00–15:00
Guided tour of the exhibition «Matisse, Derain and Friends. The Paris Avantgarde 1904–1908»
Cost: Admission + CHF 5
14:00–15:00
Visite guidée de l'exposition «Matisse, Derain et leurs amis. L’avant-garde parisienne des années 1904–1908»
Coût: Entrée + CHF 5
UNERHÖRT
NEUBAU
18:00–19:30
Performative tour. Unheard of!?
During a performative tour, we take on various roles such as commenting, reconstructing, and speculating. This approach helps to broaden our perspective on the apparent and hidden narratives of an exhibition. We explore questions such as: What attitudes and perspectives are visible in the exhibition space through the texts and objects? What do we know about the authors, models, witnesses, and viewers? Which voices are heard, and which ones are silenced?
Cost: Admission + CHF 5
Belle Epoque
NEUBAU
19:15–20:15
Belle Epoque 1: «Ravel & Chausson» with Yulia Kopylova (Solo violine)
Belle Epoque: A chamber concert evening with musicians from the Basel Symphony Orchestra and an introduction by Hans-Georg Hofmann, Artistic Director of the Basel Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets will be available soon.
NEUBAU
14:00–15:00
Guided tour of the exhibition «Matisse, Derain and Friends. The Paris Avantgarde 1904–1908»
Cost: Admission + CHF 5
NEUBAU
14:00–15:00
Kuratorenführung in der Ausstellung «Matisse, Derain und ihre Freunde. Die Pariser Avantgarde 1904–1908»
Mit dem Kurator Arthur Fink. Kosten: Eintritt + CHF 5
