Founded by the artist himself in 1952, since 1982 the Matisse Museum has been based in the former Fénelon Palace in Le Cateau-Cambrésis, where the famous painter, draughtsman, engraver and sculptor Henri Matisse was born.
Entirely renovated and re-opened in 2002 after several years of building work, the museum houses 17 exhibition rooms bathed in soft light and overlooking a beautiful French-style park. A large portion of it illustrates the exceptional career of Matisse, one of the major artists of the 20th century, with over 170 of his works. As well as the Matisse collection, there are paintings by Auguste Herbin and works by Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.
The Matisse Museum also arranges guided tours, conferences and workshops for children and adults, as well as temporary exhibitions.
