Get our latest book recommendations, author news, and competitions right to your inbox.
Published by Pegasus Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
Table of Contents
About The Book
The remarkable and little-known story of the two groundbreaking winters that Henri Matisse spent painting in Morocco, a fertile period that transformed his art and marked his work until the very end.
In winter of 1912, Henri Matisse—forty-two, nearing mid-career, and yet to find lasting critical acceptance, public admiration, or financial security since exploding to the forefront of the avant-garde in 1905 with his iconoclastic Fauve paintings—was struggling. Once the vanguard leader, the Parisian avant-garde now considered him passé. His important early collectors, including Gertrude and Leo Stein, had stopped buying his work and were fully championing Picasso, and he had exhibited little in the last few years. In the face of Cubism that was now dominating the art scene, Matisse needed to get away from Paris in order to advance his distinctive artistic vision.
Almost on a whim, he went to Tangier. Matisse had already been profoundly inspired by Islamic art, and was primed for his arrival in the Moroccan city where such art was integrated into everyday life. Despite the challenges of rain, insomnia, depression, and finding models, the sojourn was such a success he returned the following winter, which would lead to even greater artistic triumph.
Matisse in Morocco tells the story of the artist's groundbreaking time in Tangier and how it altered Matisse’s development as a painter and indelibly marked his work for the next four decades. Through Koehler's research and travel, we experience Matisse's time in Tangier, the paintings and their subjects, his relationships with his wife Amélie and his two important collectiors, and then come to understand the impact Morocco—its light, colors, culture, and artistic traditions—had on his art. From Landscape Viewed From a Window, to Zorah on the Terrace, from Kasbah Gate to the dream-like tableau Moroccan Café, these works from Morocco are now recognized as some of the most significant and dazzling of Matisse’s illustrious career.
In winter of 1912, Henri Matisse—forty-two, nearing mid-career, and yet to find lasting critical acceptance, public admiration, or financial security since exploding to the forefront of the avant-garde in 1905 with his iconoclastic Fauve paintings—was struggling. Once the vanguard leader, the Parisian avant-garde now considered him passé. His important early collectors, including Gertrude and Leo Stein, had stopped buying his work and were fully championing Picasso, and he had exhibited little in the last few years. In the face of Cubism that was now dominating the art scene, Matisse needed to get away from Paris in order to advance his distinctive artistic vision.
Almost on a whim, he went to Tangier. Matisse had already been profoundly inspired by Islamic art, and was primed for his arrival in the Moroccan city where such art was integrated into everyday life. Despite the challenges of rain, insomnia, depression, and finding models, the sojourn was such a success he returned the following winter, which would lead to even greater artistic triumph.
Matisse in Morocco tells the story of the artist's groundbreaking time in Tangier and how it altered Matisse’s development as a painter and indelibly marked his work for the next four decades. Through Koehler's research and travel, we experience Matisse's time in Tangier, the paintings and their subjects, his relationships with his wife Amélie and his two important collectiors, and then come to understand the impact Morocco—its light, colors, culture, and artistic traditions—had on his art. From Landscape Viewed From a Window, to Zorah on the Terrace, from Kasbah Gate to the dream-like tableau Moroccan Café, these works from Morocco are now recognized as some of the most significant and dazzling of Matisse’s illustrious career.
Product Details
- Publisher: Pegasus Books (June 3, 2025)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781639369102
Raves and Reviews
Praise for Jeff Koehler
"Enchanting . . . An absorbing narrative of politics, ecology, and economics."
– New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)
"Jeff Koehler dives deep and ranges widely as he pursues an understanding of the origins of coffee, how it spread around the world from the Horn of Africa, and what lies ahead in an era of climate change and coffee rust. It reads like an engaging multimystery detective novel . . . [We] gain a rich appreciation of the bean that so many depend on every day."
– Wall Street Journal
"A deep dive and a must read."
– Smithsonian Magazine, "Best Food Books of the Year"
"A thorough, investigative journey through the food of the Maghreb."
– Yotam Ottolenghi, chef, restaurateur and food writer
"An unprecedented and remarkable dive in the fabulously rich and diverse culinary heritage of North Africa (which goes far beyond the beloved clichés of couscous and tagines)."
– Mohamed El Baroudi, Moroccan tea expert and gastronome, Academy Chair of the World’s 50 Bes
"This cookbook is a must for a deep dive into North African classic and regional dishes."
– Warda Bouguettaya, James Beard award-winning pastry chef and owner of Warda Patisserie
"Excellent."
– Publishers Weekly
Praise for Jeff Koehler
"Koehler weaves an absorbing narrative."
– New York Times Book Review
“Koehler has the polymath’s curiosity for everything, as well as the writer’s ability to listen to and retell a good story."
– Nicholas Lezard, Guardian
“Koehler is an expert guide."
– William Grimes, New York Times Book Review
“Koehler is a natural writer and storyteller."
– Seattle Times
“[Koehler’s] prose is both sensory and balletic."
– Chicago Tribune
“Koehler has the knack of a good storyteller who has found a great story to tell."
– South China Morning Post
“His research is rigorous."
– Business Insider
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Matisse in Morocco eBook 9781639369102
