‘Henri Matisse: The Cutouts’ opens at the Tate Modern in London

A new Henri Matisse show is scheduled to open at London’s Tate Modern. Henri Matisse: The Cutouts opens Thursday and runs to Sept. 7.

"I think that they will possibly feel that a figure who is always presented as a rather conservative figure actually was much bolder, much freer," Tate director Nicholas Serota told the Associated Press. "He's often contrasted with Picasso, who was always out there proclaiming novelty - whereas Matisse somehow achieved novelty."

Matisse had who had surgery for cancer in 1941. He used scissors, paper, and pins to create these extraordinary works and leave behind the difficulty of illness, according to The Guardian. The artist died in 1954 at 84 years old.

The exhibit in London is co-curated with the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The show will move to New York in October. It is the largest exhibition of Matisse's paper works, and is sure to be a hit. It could become more popular than the Tate’s Matisse Picasso in 2002.

Henri Matisse: The Cutouts runs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York from Oct. 14 to Feb. 9.