Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869 in Le Cateau-Cambresis in Northern France. His parents, Emile Matisse and Heloise Gerars, owned a general store where they sold household goods and seed. Henri was their first son.

As a young man, Henri traveled to Paris to study law. In 1889 he returned home to work in a law office as a clerk. It was around this time that he had an attack of appendicitis, which required surgery. To make the long recovery more enjoyable his mother gave him a paint box. It was then, at the age of 21, that Matisse discovered painting and decided to become an artist. Read more...

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) French Modern Artist Preview and Print Preview and print this free printable artist biography by clicking on the orange button above the image.

Trouble opening PDF? You may need to download or update Acrobat Reader first. Click the purple button to download reader.