Lot Essay
Christie's is privileged to offer a select group of prints by Henri Matisse from the Estate of Pierre-Noël Matisse. Pierre-Noël Matisse, grandson of Henri Matisse, inherited an encyclopedic and extraordinary collection of works--not only by Matisse but by a pantheon of 20th Century masters--from his prodigious parents Pierre Matisse and Alexina "Teeny" Duchamp. This formidable family must have provided a fascinating childhood. While his father Pierre Matisse is considered one of the most influential dealers of the 20th Century, having introduced artists such a Joan Miró, Alberto Giacometti and Jean Dubuffet to America, his mother "Teeny" Duchamp led an adventurous and offbeat life having later married the artist Marcel Duchamp.