The Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris is staging a groundbreaking exhibition of works by Henri Matisse (1869-1954), one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

Bringing together more than 110 works – paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and ceramics – the exhibition shows Matisse's view of his eldest daughter, Marguerite Duthuit-Matisse (1894–1982), an essential but discreet figure in his family circle.

The exhibition features numerous drawings rarely, if ever, shown to the public, as well as major works from American, Swiss and Japanese collections, now on view in France for the first time. Photographs, archival material and paintings by Marguerite herself fill out the portrait of this little-known personality. From Matisse’s images of her childhood to the end of the Second World War, Marguerite remained his most constant model and the only one to have featured in his work over several decades. Remarkably frank and intense, his portraits of her convey an emotion that reflects the depth of the artist's affection for his daughter.

Matisse seemed to see in her a kind of mirror of himself, as if in his depictions he was finally achieving the "almost complete identification of painter and model" to which he aspired.

This chronologically organised exhibition bears witness to the strength of the bond between the artist and his daughter. Revealing an immense mutual trust and respect, it also offers an insight into the fascinating destiny of a highly singular woman who played a leading role in her father's career.