Think Matisse's work could be done by a child? Think again, says Sir Nicholas Serota Speaking at a press conference to launch the show, Sir Nicholas said the true "sophistication" of Matisse's cut-outs could only be fully appreciated when seen in their full context, as he claimed the exhibition would prove the artist's critics wrong. He added: "Every one says 'a child of six could do it', but when you come and see the show you'll realise that its only an old man with this incredible freedom of imagination who could." The "ambitious" project, which involves 120 works, has never been done before, in part because the pieces are so fragile, he said. Sir Nicholas also claimed the "sensational," "evocative" show was "one of the most beautiful exhibitions we have been able to present at the Tate Modern" and had been in his mind for 30 years before it was realised. He said of Matisse: "During the last decade, he found it incredibly difficult to paint. From the early 1940s, he began to pick up the technique that he had experimented with earlier in his life, of taking increasingly large pieces of coloured paper, cutting into that paper and making compositions. This is the most important exhibition of this phase of his work that has ever been staged and I believe will ever be staged. Henri Matisse, who lived from 1869 to 1954, is widely considered one of the most significant colourists of all time, with a background including work as a draughtsman, printmaker, sculptor and painter. The cut-outs featured in the exhibition were made from 1943 onwards, and include 1953's The Snail, its sister work Memory of Oceania, and Large Composition with Masks. A photograph of Matisse's studio has revealed the works were initially conceived as a unified whole, and they will now be displayed together for the first time since they were made in Matisse's studio. A spokeswoman for Tate Modern said the cut outs were the "final brilliant chapter" in Matisse's career and reflected his "renewed commitment to form and colour." This is the first major exhibition of Matisse's cut-outs, with just two smaller shows displaying around 60 of the works in the last four decades. The exhibition, sponsored by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, will open on April 17, with tickets on sale now