
About this Event
An exhibition on Matisse’s last years, 1941-1954, will be presented at the Grand Palais in Paris this coming Spring 2026. Antoine Compagnon draws on this talk for an article he wrote for the exhibition catalog on the artist’s “late style” and “senile sublime,” discernible in the drawings, the chapel in Vence, and the visionary cut-outs. As a sequel, Compagnon is now developing a podcast, “A Winter with Matisse,” on the model of his Summers with Montaigne, Pascal, Baudelaire, Colette, for France Inter.
Antoine Compagnon is the Blanche W. Knopf Professor of French and Comparative Literature at Columbia and Professor Emeritus at the Collège de France, where he held the chair in Modern and Contemporary French literature : history, criticism, theory
from 2005 to 2020. He is the author of 15 books of literary history and criticism and countless articles and essays, with a particular focus on Montaigne and Proust, as well as Baudelaire, Roland Barthes, Bernard Faÿ, and Charles Péguy, among other writers.
Among his many honors, Antoine Compagnon is a member of the Académie française, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academia Europaea, and a corresponding fellow of the British Academy. He received honorary degrees from King’s College, London, University of Liège, and University of Bucharest.
Event Details & Important Information
This event is free and open to the public, but please note that registration does not guarantee a seat. We intentionally overbook our events, and seating is first come, first served. We recommend arriving early.
Important:
Columbia’s campus is currently open only to Columbia-affiliated guests (with a valid CUID).
If you do not have a Columbia ID, you will need a QR code to enter campus.
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- You must register on Eventbrite at least 48 hours in advance
- We will submit your name and email to Public Safety
- You will receive an email from with your unique QR code
Please check your spam/junk folder if you don’t see the email, and bring a valid photo ID with you to present at campus entry points.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Maison Française, 515 West 116th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00