LateRooms.com - Rome's Vatican Opens Matisse Room

    ROME, ITALY, July 21, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Vatican Museums in Rome have opened the Matisse Room, which is dedicated to French artist Henri Matisse.

It has been put together to showcase the plans that led to the creation of his stained-glass windows for the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, which were his only religious artworks.

Matisse's son Pierre donated the items to the Pontifical Collection in 1980 and the church has now organised them into a cohesive exhibition.

The display of the drawings and other pieces appears to be very much in agreement with the iconic artist's wishes.

In a statement, the organisers quoted Matisse as saying: "When the stained-glass windows are finished I wish to donate to a museum the preparatory sketches: it would be a folly for the original drawings and the stained-glass windows to remain in the same place."

Standard tickets to view the Vatican Museums cost EUR15 (GBP13.20). The religious buildings are open from 09:00 to 18:00 local time, but visitors should note the box office closes at 16:00.

To reach the venue, take Metro line A to San Giovanni station.

If art enthusiasts are keen to find 5 star hotels in Rome, they can use LateRooms.com to browse a variety of luxury accommodation, including the Sheraton Roma Rome.

Find out more by visiting http://mv.vatican.va/.

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