This book celebrates the artist's style of living, his unique eye for color, and his light-filled homes in the uplifting warmth of the South. Brilliant photographs evoke the bonheur of Matisse's life in Nice - the airy interiors that inspired him; the Moroccan and Oriental vignettes, including figs and flowers, candied pineapple, or vibrant citrus fruits, that appear in his paintings of the period; and the lifelong collections of objects and textiles which appear time and again in his work.

In these pages, Matisse's paintings are juxtaposed with the actual settings depicted in them, offering an inspiring contrast of the poetic with the literal. Finally, 60 recipes present the Provencal and Russian specialties popular on the coast at the time.