During the last decade of his long life, Henri Matisse produced some 270 paper cutouts. Although they constitute independent works, many also served as maquettes for projects as different in scale and purpose as book illustrations or designs for liturgical vestments and stained-glass windows. During the 1930s, Matisse had already used paper models to help him compose his paintings. Then, after two serious operations in 1941 left him in poor health, the artist worked more and more with paper cutouts-something he could do sitting up in bed or in an armchair. With scissors, Matisse cut shapes from sheets of paper that his assistants first had colored with gouache. These would be pinned into position and, once finalized, glued onto a white or multicolored ground. After the late 1940s, when the size of these cutouts increased so much that they had to be executed on the wall, he would direct his assistants as to the specific placement of the shapes and they would carry out his vision.

By 1951, the artist had stopped painting and devoted himself exclusively to making large-scale paper cutouts and drawings. Later compositions, such as this one, focused on larger, bolder, and more simplified shapes. Here, the abstracted "snow flowers" are a mixture of white plant and petal forms, placed against a patchwork of bold color. Although they appear to be wholly imaginary, one small plant growing up from the bottom center edge suggests that Matisse's title and his shapes were inspired by the snowdrop, a small frosty-white, bell-shaped flower that blooms in early spring.

Inscription: L.R.: Fleurs de Neige Henri Matisse/1951

Mme Henri Matisse (1954–58); Pierre Matisse, New York (from 1958); Pierre Noël Matisse, Los Angeles (in 1960); [Galerie d'Art Moderne, Basel, until 1968; sold on July 25 to Sperry]; Mrs. Vicci Sperry, Los Angeles (from 1968); [Acquavella Galleries, New York, until 1975; sold on October 8 to Gelman]; Jacques and Natasha Gelman, Mexico City and New York (1975–his d. 1986; her d. 1998)

Bern: Bern Kunsthalle, ¦Henri Matisse 1950–1954 Les grandes gouaches decoupees¦, July 25 - September 20, 1959, no. 3 ill. in b&w.

Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, ¦From El Greco to Pollock: Early and Late Works by European and American Artists¦, October 22-December 8, 1968, no. 127, ill. p. 151.

Buffalo, New York: Albright-Knox Art Gallery, September 15-November 1, 1970. Dayton: The Dayton Art Institute, November 20, 1970-January 10, 1971. Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, February 4-March 28, 1971. ¦Color and Field 1890-1970¦, no 34.

Washington D.C.: National Gallery of Art, September 10 - October 23, 1977. Detroit: The Detroit Institute of Arts, November 23, 1977 - January 8, 1978. St. Louis: The St. Louis Art Museum, January 29 - March 12, 1978. ¦Henri Matisse: Paper Cut-Outs¦, plate XIV, ill. p. 70, no. 117, ill.
p. 173.

New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, December 12, 1989 - April 1, 1990. London, England: Royal Academy, April 19 - July 15, 1990. ¦Gelman Collection¦ (illus. in color p. 249, discussed p. 248).

Martigny, Suisse: Foundation Pierre Gianadda, 18 juin-1 novembre 1994. ¦de Matisse à Picasso: Collection Jacques et Natasha Gelman¦, Rédaction du catalogue: William S. Lieberman, Auteur du catalogue: Sabine Rewald, Textes de: Dawn Ades, John Ashbery, Jacques Dupin, John Golding, Lawrence Gowing, William S. Lieberman, Philippe de Montebello, Pierre Schneider et Gary Tinterow. p. 273 (illus. in color).

London: Royal Academy of Arts, March 5-May 30, 2005; Le Cateau-Cambresis: Musee Matisse, October 23,2004-January 2005;
MMA, June 20-September 25, 2005. Matisse: His Art and His Textiles: The
Fabric of Dreams. p. 172, cat. 80, illus. in color.

Cowart, J. Arts Magazine, May 1975, mentioned on p. 55, not ill.

Guichard-Meili, Matisse: Paper Cutouts, Eng. version, no. 20, ill. in color.

Marmer, Nancy, "Matisse and the Strategy of Decoration," Artforum, March 1966, ill. in black and white, p. 33.

Seldis, Henry, "The Magic of Matisse," Apollo, fig. 15, ill. in black and white on p. 254.

Schneider, Pierre, Matisse, Rizzoli, 1984, mentioned on p. 697, but not ill.

Verve, 1958, "The Last Works of Matisse," ill., p. 21 in color.