The work of American painter Tom Wesselmann, a prominent figure in Pop art, has been greatly influenced by French artist Henri Matisse.

The exhibition "After Matisse" at the Almine Rech gallery offers a fresh perspective on Wesselmann's nudes, still lifes, portraits, metal paintings, and collages, showcasing how Matisse's art shaped Wesselmann's own artistic vision.

In his early years as a painter, Tom Wesselmann diverged from the prevalent abstraction of the early 1960s and chose figuration instead, seeking to surpass the influence of Willem de Kooning.

Following in Matisse's footsteps, Wesselmann explored traditional pictorial genres such as nudes, portraits, interiors, still lifes, and landscapes.

Like Matisse, he organized his paintings into series, including the "Great American Nudes," "Still Lifes," "Seascapes," and "Bedroom Paintings." Wesselmann's artistic brushstroke also bears the imprint of Henri Matisse, as he highlights the sensuality of the female body through precise work on color and line.

In the series "Great American Nudes," eroticism unfolds through vibrant colors and sharp contours reminiscent of Matisse's cut-out figures.

The painting "After Matisse" unequivocally expresses Wesselmann's heritage, featuring a pastel and collage composition that reinterprets Henri Matisse's 1921 artwork "L'Artiste et le modèle nu." The artistic dialogue between Tom Wesselmann and Henri Matisse also influenced Wesselmann's "Steel Drawings" created in the 1980s.

Laser-cut from painted metal, these works blur the line between painting and sculpture and present a fresh take on female nudes, landscapes, and still lifes.

Wesselmann's later works, produced in the 1990s and the final years of his life, fully embody his artistic connection with Matisse.

This is evident in his painting "Still Life with Matisse and Johns" (1993) and the series of "Sunset Nudes," some of which incorporate reproductions of Matisse's artworks.

The painting "Man Ray at the Dance," completed in 2004, the year of Wesselmann's passing, is a personal reinterpretation of Henri Matisse's renowned piece "La Danse." Although deeply rooted in American art, Tom Wesselmann's paintings found inspiration in Henri Matisse's sun-drenched hedonism characterized by contrasting colors and simple curves.

Through a more raw and provocative expression of eroticism, Wesselmann brings a renewed originality to the work of the French artist.