{"product_id":"matisse-at-war-9780806544168","title":"Matisse at War","description":"\u003cb\u003eSpotlighting the years during WWII when Henri Matisse and his family defiantly refused to evacuate Nazi-occupied France, this groundbreaking book illuminates the previously untold history of their passionate roles in the Resistance and the prodigious, revolutionary work the artist produced in the face of fascism, violence, and hate. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor readers of Jeffrey H. Jackson's \u003ci\u003ePaper Bullets, \u003c\/i\u003eMartin Dugard's \u003ci\u003eTaking Paris, \u003c\/i\u003eJulie Orringer's \u003ci\u003eThe Flight Portfolio, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003ePicasso's War \u003c\/i\u003eby Hugh Eakin - from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThe Confidante.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1940, with the Nazis sweeping through France, Henri Matisse found himself at a personal and artistic crossroads. His 42-year marriage had ended, he was gravely ill, and after decades at the forefront of modern art, he was beset by doubt. As scores of famous figures escaped the country, Matisse took refuge in Nice, with his companion, Lydia Delectorskaya. By defiantly remaining, Matisse was a source of inspiration for his nation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhile enemy agents and Resistance fighters played cat-and-mouse in the alleyways of Nice, Matisse's son, Jean, engaged in sabotage efforts with the Allies. In Paris, under the swastika, Matisse's estranged wife, Amélie, worked for the Communist underground. His beloved daughter, Marguerite, active in the French Resistance, was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, sentenced to Ravensbruck concentration camp--and miraculously escaped when her train was halted by Allied bombs. His younger, son, Pierre helped Jewish artists escape to New York; even his teenaged grandson risked his life by defying the Germans and their Vichy collaborators. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAmidst this chaos, Matisse responded to the dark days of war by inventing a dazzling new paper technique that led to some of his most iconic pieces, including \u003ci\u003eThe Fall of Icarus\u003c\/i\u003e, his profile of Charles De Gaulle, \u003ci\u003eMonsieur Loyal\u003c\/i\u003e, and his groundbreaking cut-out book, \u003ci\u003eJazz. \u003c\/i\u003eHis wartime works were acts of resistance, subtly patriotic and daringly new. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on intimate letters and a multitude of other sources, Christopher C. Gorham illuminates this momentous stage of Matisse's life as never before, revealing an artist on a journey of reinvention, wrenching meaning from the suffering of war, and holding up the light of human imagination against the torch of fascism to create some of the most exciting work of his career, of the 20th century, and in the history of art.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChristopher C. Gorham \u003c\/b\u003eis a lawyer, educator, and acclaimed author whose books include \u003ci\u003eMatisse at War \u003c\/i\u003eand the Goodreads Choice Award finalist, \u003ci\u003eThe Confidante.\u003c\/i\u003e With degrees in history from Tufts University and the University of Michigan, he served on the editorial staff of the \u003ci\u003eSyracuse Law Review\u003c\/i\u003e while earning his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. His writing has appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e and in online journals. He lives with his wife in Watertown and Chatham, Massachusetts, and can be found online at ChristopherCGorham.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Citadel Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51624063172882,"sku":"9780806544168","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_cb20c778-7add-4fad-a828-39743b897612.jpg?v=1758652872","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/matisse-at-war-9780806544168","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}