The Unknown Matisse: Man of the North: 1869-1908

A LIFE OF HENRI MATISSE- VOLUME ONE, 1869-1908 'Spurling's account of Matisse's first forty years is gripping, full of shocks and colour, judicious and informative' A.S. Byatt, Guardian 'A terrific achievement' Michael Holroyd In this opening volume of the first biography devoted to the artist, Hilary Spurling uncovers the dramatic and sometimes shocking story - almost entirely unknown until now - of the making of the greatest French painter of the twentieth century. 'A superlative achievement. Spurling brings Matisse the man into startlingly combative life. Outstanding as an interpreter of his art and life alike, she provides fresh illumination on every page' Richard Cork, The Times 'Shows Spurling at her brilliant best as passionate scholar, traveller and storyteller. Her heroic researches - from Paris to St Petersberg - have unearthed a family scandal worthy of Zola, and a psychological portrait of the artistic temperament unmatched by any previous study in French or English. Lavishly illustrated and lovingly well written' Richard Holmes, Daily Telegraph, Books of the Year 'Matisse is truly amazing, and it is an amazing story. Spurling's life has uncovered a huge amount of unfamiliar material. Outstanding' Philip Hensher, Spectator 'A definitive biography that reads like a detective story . . . truly indispensable' John Elderfield, Museum of Modern Art, New York

About the Author :
Hilary Spurling was born in 1940. She is the author of numerous biographies, including Ivy When Young: The Early Life of Ivy Compton-Burnett 1884-1919; Paul Scott: A Life; a two-volume biography of Matisse, The Unknown Matisse and Matisse the Master (also published in the abridged single-volume Matisse: The Life); and Burying the Bones. She won the Rose Mary Crawshay Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize for Ivy When Young, the Whitbread Book of the Year Award for Matisse the Master, and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Burying the Bones. She grew up in Bristol and studied at the University of Oxford. From 1964 to 1970 she was theatre critic and literary editor of the Spectator, and since then she has been a regular book reviewer for the Observer and the Daily Telegraph. She lives in London with her husband, the playwright John Spurling, with whom she has three children. Her new book, Anthony Powell, will be published by Hamish Hamilton in October 2016.

Review :
"This book is extraordinary in revealing not only so much about Matisse that was previously unknown and unexpected, but also so much of real importance to an understanding of him and his art . . . Truly indispensable for anyone interested in Matisse, or in the milieu in which he lived and worked, or in the forces that shaped the art of this century--with a human dimension that is vividly drawn, utrterly compelling, and profoundly moving."
--John Elderfield, curator of the 1992 Matisse retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, New York
"Hilary Spurling, most accomplished of biographers, sheds an entirely new light on the humiliations and failures that Henri Matisse had to overcome in order to develop into the greatest French painter of this century. Her account of Matisse's early years is as riveting as a novel by Zola."
--John Richardson, author of A Life of Picasso
"Besides being a first-rate scholar, Hilary Spurling is an artist in narrative who has unearthed a fascinating story and told it brilliantly. This is a terrific achievement."
--Michael Holroyd, author Bernard Shaw

"From the Hardcover edition."