Celebrating Matisse’s famous cut-outs in exhibition at The Oxfordshire Museum

French painter, sculptor and designer Henri Matisse is celebrated in an exhibition opening at The Oxfordshire Museum on Saturday.

The museum in Woodstock presents Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, from The Southbank Centre, London, featuring 35 lithographic prints of the artist’s famous cut-outs.

Matisse (1869-1954) was one of the 20th century's most influential artists. He continued creating highly-original works well into his 80s.

The cut-outs were produced in the last four years of his life, when the artist was confined to his bed, and include many of his iconic images, such as The Snail and the Blue Nudes.

For these cut-outs he used paper that had been hand-painted with gouache and said of the process that 'the paper cut-out allows me to…draw straight into the colour'.

May half-term art activities for children and families at The Oxfordshire Museum will have a Matisse theme and on Friday, May 31, there is a free creative drop-in session for older people in association with the Age of Creativity initiative and Oxfordshire Artweeks. Click here for further details.

Matisse: Drawing with Scissors, Late works 1950-54, runs from May 4 to June 2. Entry is free.