Sunday, March 22, 2026
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Bethany Village
The Village Center/Serr Grand Room
6443 Bethany Village Drive
Dayton, OH 45459

In partnership with Bethany Village and Jewish Family Services of Greater Dayton

Christopher C. Gorham
Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in Nazi Occupied France

Christopher Gorham, a lawyer, an educator and acclaimed author of The Confidante, has written a book about a lesser-known segment of the life of Henri Matisse. Rather than focusing on his earlier Fauvist or postwar paintings, Gorham delves into Matisse’s wartime creativity and moral resolve. After a number of personal crises such as surgery, the dissolution of his 42-year marriage, and the departure of many of his friends in the artistic and intellectual community, Matisse decided to stay in France. This had horrendous consequences for him and his family. His daughter Marguerite was arrested, tortured, and deported to Ravensbrück but escaped when Allied bombing halted her transport. Two of his other children worked in the resistance movement. Through the horrors of war, Matisse continued to produce works of art even though they were condemned by the Nazis. He experimented with paper cuts and collage techniques and produced works such as The Fall of Icarus, and the much-lauded book, Jazz.

No cost.

Questions? Contact Stacy Emoff at semoff@jfgd.net.