Artsy Insight: Sophie Matisse’s Hidden Dimensions

Peering through cut-outs of Farsi script and overlapping geometric shapes, Sophie Matisse’s imagery evokes the passage of time. Reminiscent of the decorative, paper-cut collages of one of her famous grandfathers, Henri Matisse, (the other being Marcel Duchamp), these works are derived from collage-filled notebooks from the artist’s travels, which she cuts and geometrically divides to use as a model for her paintings. 

Matisse’s works reward close looking. In the first and second images, you’ll find glossy advertisements for luxury watches—a literal depiction of the measure of time. In the third, read between the swirling, cut-out script for a portrait of her daughter, Gaia.