Matisse's Color Symphony Illuminates Bordeaux's Submarine Base

A monumental immersive exhibition dedicated to Henri Matisse, titled 'La symphonie des couleurs,' opened at the Bassins des Lumières in Bordeaux on February 7. The show transforms the city's former German-built World War II submarine base into a vast canvas, with 45-minute projections reflecting in dark water basins to create a unique sensory experience. It explores Matisse's life through eight colors—blue, red, yellow, pink, orange, mauve, green, and black—each representing different artistic phases. For the first time at this venue, a voiceover drawn from the painter's own writings contextualizes the hues, such as the subversive pink of his Fauvist years and the absolute blue of his cut-out nudes. The presentation highlights motifs from his Nice period, including vegetal patterns and dancers stretching ten meters high, alongside references to his final masterpiece, the Chapelle du Rosaire in Vence, where color, light, and spirituality unite. This installation follows previous shows at the Bassins des Lumières featuring artists like Gustav Klimt and Salvador Dalí, continuing the site's repurposing from a military structure into one of Europe's most captivating digital art venues.