French painter Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954) expressed joy through patterns, ornamentation and vivid colors. Given a paint set while recovering from an illness, Matisse described his discovery of art as “a kind of paradise.” Originally labeled a Fauvist, he produced early works that were remarkably mature. After seeing Impressionist and Japanese art, Matisse made color instrumental to his work, and experimented with expressive abstraction. He also decorated the Dominican nuns’ chapel at Vence, France when he was almost 80. Matisse, who was often nervous, relieved his tension through painting.

Monsieur Loyal is from a portfolio of 20 works of art originally created by Matisse from his cut-outs and collages series. The edition is limited to 200 copies, numbered 1 to 200 and to 20 artist proofs numbered 1 to 20. Printed in Paris in 2006.