During his lifetime, Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was already hailed as both a revolutionary painter and the inventor of cut-outs. Far less known, however, is that he also modelled in clay and plaster and was keen to be recognised for his work as a sculptor. This exhibition focuses on the artistic method Matisse brought to bear in almost all his principal sculptures: starting out from a seemingly naturalistic approach, his figures progressed through increasing degrees of abstraction that culminated in radical stylization. At the same time he captured the key ‘states’ as sculptures in their own right, laying bare the workings of his creative process. As if by metamorphosis, his bronzes are transformed from a natural to an abstract form. There are parallels with this process in his paintings and drawings, and the exhibition explores the relationship between them for the first time.