The Matisse Collection – A Tribute to Henri Matisse’s Legacy

Published in Unique Estates Life Summer 2025

East Fork Photography

Fifteen years ago, Alex Matisse founded his pottery company East Fork in the US state of North Carolina with his wife Connie and their partner John Vigeland. He consciously chose to distance himself from the surname of his great-grandfather, the legendary French artist Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954), and to forge his own creative identity.

Today, however, Alex is delighted to present the Matisse Collection – a tribute to the genius of Henri Matisse through the eyes of his great-grandson.

“I didn’t want the name of the company I was building to constantly remind people of someone else, even if that someone was one of the most famous artists in the world,” says Alex Matisse. “However, over time, it seemed natural to honor my great-grandfather’s legacy in this special way.”

In search of maximum authenticity, the collection of various types of plates and cups draws inspiration directly from the ceramic works of Henri Matisse himself and masterpieces from his rich oeuvre, including Bédouine au grand voile (1947), Nadia au regard sérieux (1948), Le Platane (1951), and the Nu bleu series (1952). A new color, La Sirène, has also been created for the new collection, balanced by the delicate shade Panna Cotta, another reference to Henri Matisse’s characteristic palette.

“For a long time, I felt like my family’s legacy was a shadow rather than something worth celebrating. So much so that I had to get lost in the mountains of North Carolina to find myself. And only when the company was firmly on its own two feet did the pressure of the family name ease enough for me to honor it. This collection is a beautiful embodiment of that process,” says Alex Matisse.