The Missing Matisse

Matisse, grandson of painter Henri Matisse and son of sculptor Jean Matisse, believes that “creating is a part of my spiritual DNA.” This debut memoir details his search for identity, which, in turn, produced a deeper yearning for spiritual connection. Shuttling between Paris and the French countryside for much of his childhood, he developed a love of photography and boats, and during World War II he carried messages and forged documents for the French Resistance. At age 12, Matisse was informed by his mother, Louise, that his name was legally Pierre Leroy. He sensed a shameful secret but didn’t learn the details until years later: while married to Camille Leroy, Louise had an affair with Jean Matisse—Pierre’s birth father. She and Camille divorced just after Pierre’s birth, but Camille bitterly insisted on keeping the boy linked to him. Recreated dialogue and present-tense narration enliven the high-action scenes of the war years, but the memoir’s final sections sprint through seven more decades, including emigration to North America, various careers, and four marriages. Matisse, now a retired painter and paper collagist based in Florida, came late to the Christian faith. His hunt for his parentage, culminating in the decision to reclaim the Matisse name in his 60s, nicely parallels his search for identity in Christ. (Nov.)