Paul Matisse
Encyclopedia
Paul Matisse is an artist and inventor. He is known especially for his public art installations, many of which are interactive. He is also inventor of the Kalliroscope
.
In 1954, Matisse graduated from Harvard, where he once lived in Eliot House
with Stephen Joyce
, grandson of James Joyce
, and Sadruddin Aga Khan, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
. After college he briefly studied at Harvard's Graduate School of Design before working in product development for Arthur D. Little
. In 1962 he set off on his own, manufacturing Kalliroscope
s.
From 1977 to 1979 he helped enlarge a sculpture by Alexander Calder
(who died in 1976) for the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, DC. Thereafter, he began his own public art career.
He currently resides in a former Baptist church in Groton, Massachusetts
. He is the stepson of artist Marcel Duchamp
and grandson of French painter Henri Matisse
. Henri Matisse's son, Pierre Matisse
, was Paul's father. His daughter Sophie Matisse
is a painter in New York.
Kalliroscope
A Kalliroscope is an art device/technique based on rheoscopic fluids invented by artist Paul Matisse....
.
In 1954, Matisse graduated from Harvard, where he once lived in Eliot House
Eliot House
Eliot House is one of twelve residential houses for upperclassmen at Harvard University and one of the seven original houses at the College. Opened in 1931, the house was named after Charles William Eliot, who served as president of the university for forty years .-Traditions:Before Harvard opted...
with Stephen Joyce
Stephen Joyce
Stephen Joyce may refer to:*Stephen J. Joyce - the grandson and executor of James Joyce.*Stephen A. Joyce - the Police Chief for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 1970-71.*Steven Joyce - New Zealand politician....
, grandson of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, and Sadruddin Aga Khan, a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. After college he briefly studied at Harvard's Graduate School of Design before working in product development for Arthur D. Little
Arthur D. Little
Arthur D. Little is an international management consulting firm originally headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and formally incorporated by that name in 1909 by Arthur Dehon Little, an MIT chemist who had discovered acetate. Arthur D. Little pioneered the concept of contracted...
. In 1962 he set off on his own, manufacturing Kalliroscope
Kalliroscope
A Kalliroscope is an art device/technique based on rheoscopic fluids invented by artist Paul Matisse....
s.
From 1977 to 1979 he helped enlarge a sculpture by Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
(who died in 1976) for the National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
in Washington, DC. Thereafter, he began his own public art career.
He currently resides in a former Baptist church in Groton, Massachusetts
Groton, Massachusetts
Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...
. He is the stepson of artist Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp was a French artist whose work is most often associated with the Dadaist and Surrealist movements. Considered by some to be one of the most important artists of the 20th century, Duchamp's output influenced the development of post-World War I Western art...
and grandson of French painter Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse
Henri Matisse was a French artist, known for his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter...
. Henri Matisse's son, Pierre Matisse
Pierre Matisse
Pierre Matisse was an art dealer active in New York City. He was the youngest child of French painter Henri Matisse.-Background and early years:...
, was Paul's father. His daughter Sophie Matisse
Alain Jacquet
Alain Jacquet was a French artist representative of the American Pop Art movement.-Life and career:Jacquet was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Though he studied architecture at École des Beaux-Arts as a painter he was an autodidact.Camouflage Botticelli is a famous work of his...
is a painter in New York.
Selected public artworks
- Memorial Bell for the National Japanese-American Memorial to PatriotismNational Japanese American Memorial To Patriotism During World War IIThe Memorial to Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II is a memorial and monument designed by Davis Buckley and Japanese American artist Nina Akamu. The work is located at Louisiana Avenue and D Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C....
in Washington, DC (2001) - Kendall BandKendall BandThe Kendall Band is a three-part musical sculpture created between 1986 and 1988 by Paul Matisse, who is the grandson of French artist Henri Matisse and stepson of surrealist artist Marcel Duchamp. It is installed between the inbound and outbound tracks of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation...
(1987), an interactive musical sculpture in the MBTA's Kendall/MIT subway station in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent... - Charlestown Bells, an interactive musical sculpture on the Charles River DamCharles River DamThe Charles River Dam is a flood control structure on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, located just downstream of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, near Lovejoy Wharf, on the former location of the Warren Bridge.-History:...
between downtown Boston, Massachusetts and the Boston neighborhood of CharlestownCharlestown, MassachusettsCharlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874... - Musical Fence (1980), an interactive musical sculpture once located in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, and now housed at the DeCordova MuseumDeCordova MuseumThe DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is a sculpture park and art museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts focused on modern and contemporary art, and holds a collection focused on work in all media, especially works by artists with connections to New England...
in Lincoln, MassachusettsLincoln, MassachusettsLincoln is a town in the historic area of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,362 at the 2010 census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits...
and at a science museum in VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...