"Brasserie Lecrin" and "Matisse Exhibition"
The long-awaited major retrospective in 20 years: Matisse Exhibition
July and August will likely be crowded, so I'll go this month.
Since I'm going with a friend, I might as well have lunch in Ueno.
Brasserie Lecrin would be nice.
French cuisine in a calm space that utilizes the former VIP room remaining at Ueno Station
Located 0 minutes from Ueno Station, the former VIP room inside Ueno Station was built in 1932 in an Art Deco style. In 2002, it was reborn as Brasserie Lecrin,
an elegant and calm French restaurant that retains its retro interior. It is also a sister store to Ginza Lecrin..
Recommended for art exhibitions and lunch
11:00 AM reservation
Retro-elegant chandelier
Decorated with Matisse's works (replicas, of course) to match the Matisse Exhibition
H MATISSE Special Collaboration Course: Matisse Exhibition x Brasserie Lecrin
I booked this course without hesitation; I'm already in the mood for the Matisse Exhibition. I gaze at the
menu.
expressing his entire life through course dishes, including the process leading up to Nice, his childhood, and his path in his 20s”
—Quoted from the dedication behind Menu H MATISSE
Truly a collaboration between art and cuisine
"It's exciting, isn't it?"
Amuse-bouche / "Woman Reading" / Matisse's Breakfast: Jambon de Paris
Since the amuse-bouche is the start of the meal,
the image is to have you enjoy Paris soul food first.”
I see, I think, and take a bite; the cheese and ham, with just the right thickness, are rich.
It is indeed a comforting amuse-bouche.
Appetizer / "Luxury, Calm, and Pleasure" / Colorful Terrine with Angel Shrimp
The terrine, inspired by those oil paintings, is colorfully prepared with a focus on red and green vegetables.”
An appetizer drawn delicately and energetically on a milky white plate.
Beautiful! The angel shrimp and the vegetables in the terrine each have a gentle flavor, and they are all brought together perfectly.
using bouillabaisse, a local dish of Southern France, as a sauce,
and further accentuating it with the colors of shrimp to evoke Southern France."
How beautiful the visually vibrant sauce is!
A painterly sauce that is only possible with solid technique.
Main / "Icarus (from the Jazz print series)" / Roast lamb with Pissaladière of Southern French vegetables
"It's been a while since I've had lamb; it's tender, not gamey, and delicious."
"Truly, the presentation is also excellent."
"Icarus (from the Jazz print series)"
to express the paper cut-out of 'Icarus (from the Jazz print series)',
the thin dough was intentionally cut into rough pieces,
furthermore, Matisse's signature 'color' is represented by vegetables,
and the fertile landscape of Southern France is evoked by the roast lamb."
I cut the Pissaladière, zucchini, and roast lamb into bite-sized pieces, dip them in the sauce, and bring them to my mouth.
I imagine the fertile Southern France.
Dessert / "Nude with Oranges" / A palette of eight types of purée and waffles
we incorporated waffles, which are also associated with the Hauts-de-France region,
used eight types of purée,
and imagined the palette used by the master Henri Matisse."
Because the plate is black rather than white, I can imagine a colorful palette illuminated by a spotlight.
While slowly enjoying the ice cream that melts away and the galette where the individuality of each of the eight purées shines, I truly accepted the homage to the painter.
(All descriptions of the food images are quoted from H MATISSE Special Collaboration Course Matisse Exhibition x Brasserie Lecrin ).
Coffee or tea
Topics such as hometowns, family, friends, and the books we are reading are endless.
Shall we head to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum now?
The rainy weather until yesterday has completely changed to a blue sky with white clouds that reminds one of early summer.
Ueno Park is crowded with many people due to events.
It seems the flow of people has completely returned to pre-COVID levels.
Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
Matisse Exhibition HENRI MATISSE: the Path to Color
Taro Okamoto Exhibition since my last visit to the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
1. Towards Fauvism 1895-1909
2. The Era of Radical Exploration 1914-18
3. Parallel Explorations: Sculpture and Painting 1913-30
4. Figures and Interiors 1918-29
5. Expansion and Experimentation 1930-37
6. From Nice to Vence 1938-48
7. Cut-outs and Final Works 1931-54
8. Vence Chapel of the Rosary 1948-51
The trajectory of the painter who became the leader of "Fauvism" after studying under Gustave Moreau at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and who continued to explore his own unique pictorial art, comes across like bright sunshine along with his sparkling works.
I also thought about the trajectory of Rouault, who studied under the same master.
"Unlike the Rouault exhibition, which made me look down more and more as I watched, this is truly bright and makes the viewer's heart feel cheerful, doesn't it?"
"It's a wonderful exhibition."
Exhibited works that can be photographed
I want to photograph every single one of them, wondering which one to capture.
The gaze of the painted woman, the intensity of her eyes, and even the muscles in her pose are conveyed.
The first work in the "Vence Interiors" series
Objects are captured head-on without suggesting depth, and although they are originally at a distance, they appear connected. Here, Matisse is creating a new space within color.
I see! The precise captions deepen my understanding.
The work that concludes the "Vence Interiors" series
Matisse's work on color as light is condensed here. Objects form pairs: a small round table with arabesque work and a child-sized dining table, and two animal skins laid on the floor are linked together. The brush-drawn lines on the wall cut out a different space like a window in a space dominated by the red color typical of Matisse.
After reading the caption that "objects form pairs," I appreciated the work again.
My favorite work: The Dream
It feels as if I can even hear the faint breathing of the slumbering woman.
Her loosely folded arms, closed eyes, and softly parted lips.
The final exhibit. I was drawn in by the 4K footage of Matisse's masterpiece, the Chapelle du Rosaire, and stood there watching it for a while.
The transition of light throughout the day inside the chapel is projected on a massive screen spanning about 5 meters.
The footage of the chapel interior, with its stained glass depicting the sky, plants, and light in shades of blue, green, and yellow, felt incredibly immersive and touched me deeply.
"That was a wonderful exhibition."
"I'm glad we came."
"Shall we go get some tea?"
Henri Matisse (1869–1954) was a French master who defined the 20th century. After serving as a central figure of Fauvism, a movement that left a major mark on art history through its intense use of color, he spent the rest of his life until his death at 84 as an innovator of painting, dedicating himself to the exploration of vivid colors and forms that appeal directly to the senses. The work he left behind continues to captivate us without fading, and it remains a major influence on artists of later generations.
Held with the full cooperation of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, which houses one of the world's largest Matisse collections, this exhibition is the first large-scale retrospective in Japan in about 20 years. In addition to paintings, the exhibition introduces his work from multiple perspectives through representative pieces from each period—including sculptures, drawings, prints, paper cut-outs, and materials related to his greatest late-life masterpiece, the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, southern France—tracing the formative adventures of a master filled with rich light and color.