Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the New York/Avignon Film Festival, A Model for Matisse is a warm and richly painted portrait of the little known and tender relationship between one of the twentieth century's greatest artists, Henri Matisse, and Sister Jacques-Marie, the woman who inspired him to create what Matisse proclaimed the masterpiece of his life's work: The Chapel of the Rosary in the French Mediterranean village of Vence.

In 1941, Sister Jacques-Marie – then Monique Bourgeois – was a 21-year-old nursing student and amateur artist living in Nice. She answered an ad placed by Matisse seeking "a young and pretty night nurse," and from this humble beginning a beautiful friendship developed.

This lovely film documents the story's personal and historic aspects, presenting Matisse's never-before filmed hand-painted gouaches and fabrics as well as a rich collection of photographs and archival footage of the aged Matisse working on the Chapel's ceramics.

A film by Barbara F. Freed
In English & French w/English subtitles

"One of the great love affairs of art history is that between Henri Matisse and Sister Jacques-Marie, consummated in the creation of the Rosary Chapel in Vence. As lightfilled as the tiny chapel – a jewel box of the spirit – A Model for Matisse is an act of veneration, much like the making of the chapel." -Philadelphia Inquirer

"Matisse's art sparkles in its splendor!" -La Presse

"Beautifully made and refreshingly different. The ultimate message of the film is one of triumph." -Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A sweet, wry and poignant story." -International Documentary Magazine

"Celebrates the captivating wit, energy and natural authority Matisse first recognized in Sister Jacques-Marie." -The Guardian