Free figuration

The Free Figuration is an artistic movement of the beginning of the Années 1980, appeared in a context of “serious” art, conceptual minimalist and .

Introduction

The paternity of the free denomination Figuration is allotted to the artist niçois Ben Vautier. ROBERT Combas brought at dawn the Eighties a new figurative painting on the artistic scene as of 1979 that Ben called " The LIBRE" FIGURATION; , gathering movement: Remi Blanchard, François Boisrond, Robert Combas and Herve Di Rosa. Made painting of freedoms it speaks about the company, violence, sexuality, of the suffering of people, their small happinesses, of their smallness, their size… Robert Combas: " How to explain you free figuration me which invented it? I will quote an author who is not yet known, one of the rare writers " figurative libre": Michel ZOOM. " The scene: 2 men meet, one of two known as with the other: - I caught the disease of egg, the other answers him very astonished: - thus hold, that this is thus? the first of him rétorquer: - nothing; I want to be sick!. " Here a free text figuration, an influence of jokes, slang, poetry for Michel ZOOM. For me a fabric can be influenced by African naive publicity agents, the illustration of books of elementary school, mixed with PICASSO or MIRO or then, a drawing kind data base, more of the false Arab writings, more one rough painting, very DUBUFFET or COBRA. The free figuration is a painting which does not disavow its primitive instincts and a will of culture. Like Jules Vernes, without leaving at home, I went in Tombouctou."

Initiator of the principal artistic events bringing together the artists founders of the Free Figuration, Herve Perdriolle is regarded as the promoter of this movement as Bernard Lamarche-Vadel which brings together the authors of the Free Figuration in a famous exposure " To finish in beauté". He is the author of “Free Figuration, an initiation with the culture farmhouse mediae” published in the Editions Axis-South in 1984.

This movement, very mediatized in the Years 1980, was constituted around outstanding figures like Robert Combas, Herve Di Rosa, Richard Di Rosa, Remi Blanchard, François Boisrond, Louis James. Between 1982 and 1985, these artists expose on several occasions with their American counterpart: Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Tseng Kwong Chi, and inter alia, Crash landing (exposures to New York, London, Pittsburgh, Paris,…).

In several countries, young artists propose a figurative and coloured painting. Néo-expressionnistes or New Deer in Germany, Trans-before-guard in Italy, Bad Painting with the the United States with Julian Schnabel, free Figuration in France.

The free figuration falls under the prolongation of artists and historical movements whose specificity was the opening to marginalized forms of expression, as the Cubisme had opened with African art and océanien, the Surréalisme with the drawings of children and the art of insane, the Pop art with publicity and the cartoon.

The artists of the free figuration have, through their works, taken “freedom” to make “appear” all forms of art without border of cultural kind and geographic origin, without hierarchy of values between high and low culture. Their works is appropriate in turn, the Art schools and the applied arts, rough art and cultivated art, Western and nonWestern art,…

In 2000, Herve Di Rosa founds the International Museum of Modest Arts (MIAM) with Sète.

Reference mark

(written starting from the notes put on line at the time of the exposure " It was once… the Libre" Figuration; , organized by Philippe Piguet from November 29th to February 28th, 2002 with the Foundation Coffim, Paris)

At the end of the Years 1960, Robert Combas and Herve Di Rosa attend the workshops of drawings of the council school of the Art schools of Sète, in which they are both originating. They do not know each other yet. In 1976, Combas, the brothers Di Rosa and Catherine Brindel (known as Ketty) bind friendship around the movement Punk. Ketty Brindel, Robert Combas and Richard (“Buddy”) Di Rosa found “the Obsolete ones”, a rock'n'roll group. In 1978, Herve Di Rosa is allowed with the 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of decorative arts where it becomes acquainted with François Boisrond. The following year, Herve Di Rosa, Robert Combas and Ketty Brindel create Bato , newspaper drawn with hundred specimens which lasts four numbers. He consists of joinings, of objects under plastic, photocopies. In 1980, Herve publishes in Charlie Mensuel , Libération and Marie-Claire . The same year, Combas exposes for the first time, with the Errata gallery of Montpellier. It is invited by Bernard Ceysson (directing Museum of Art and industry of Saint-Etienne) to take part in the exposure “After the classicism”.

In 1981, Robert Combas and Herve di Rosa make their first international exhibitions (Gallery Eva Keppel in Düsseldorf, Galerie Swart in Amsterdam). The art critic Bernard Lamarche-Vadel organizes in his loft Parisian the exposure “To finish in beauty” in which Di Rosa, Boisrond and Combas take part, like Jean-Michel Alberola, Jean-Charles Blais, Jean-François Maurige, Catherine Viollet and Remi Blanchard.
Always in 1981, Ben, which crér for the occasion the term “Figuration free” , organizes in Nice the exposure “2 Sétois to Nice: Ben exposes Robert Combas and Herve Di Rosa” . Other exposures are organized: “To end in has off Believe Glory or Australian Paris” (by Herve Perdriolle, with Combas, Blanchard, Boisrond, Di Rosa, C. Purple), “Workshops 81-82” (with Combas, Di Rosa with the Museum of Modern art of the Town of Paris),

In 1982, the critic Otto Hahn organizes the exposure “Statements New York 82. Leadinq contemporary artists from France” with New York, where appear Blanchard, Combas, Di Rosa, Boisrond, which for the occasion meet Keith Haring, Tseng Kwong Chi, Kenny Scharf, etc On an idea of Ben, Marc Sanchez organizes the exposure “the Air of Time. Free figuration in France” with the Contemporary Art gallery of Nice. About fifteen artists take part in it. Combas exposes at Yvon Lambert, Herve Di Rosa with the Gillepsie-Laage-Solomon gallery. The Swart Gallery in Amsterdam organizes the exposure “Figuration Free”.

1983 “Compulsory figures Hiver 83” on the ELAC (Lyons Space of Contemporary art) brings together seventeen artists whose Blanchard, Boisrond, Combas and Di Rosa. - Important exposure “Blanchard, Boisrond, Combas, Di Rosa” in Groninger Museum in Groningen. - Di Rosa and Boisrond obtain a purse of residence and remain in New York. - First personal exposures to New York de Combas with the Gallery Léo Castelli, of Boisrond at Annina Nosei and Herve Di Rosa at Barbara Gladstone, then at Tony Shafrazi where it carries out with Buddy his first large installation. - First monograph of Herve Di Rosa at the time of his personal exposure to Paris in Gillepsie-Laage-Solomon. - Exposure “Images of France, Bilder aus Frankreich” organized in Innsbrück by the Krinzinger Gallery.

1984 First great personal exposure of Combas to the Gallery I' ARCA, in Marseilles, at the time of which the first monograph of the artist is published. - With his Buddy brother, Herve Di Rosa transforms the Robert Frazer Gallery of London into monumental “a Dirozoo”, reconstituted thereafter with I' ARC. - François Boisrond and Keith Haring take part in a performance within the framework of the 24:00 of Mans organized by the members of mancelle association " Art Provisoire".]. - Herve Di Rosa and François Boisrond take part in the exposure “French Spirit Today” presented to the USC Fischer Art Gallery of Los Angeles and to the Museum of Contemporary art of Jolla then to Biennial of Sydney in Australia. - Opening of the first shop “Art Modeste”, street Beaubourg in Paris. All the characters of Di Rosa are transformed into figurines or are reproduced on all kinds of derivative products. - With the Museum of Modern art of the Town of Paris, the exposure “5/5: Free figuration, the France-USA” (organized by Otto Hahn and Herve Perdriolle) orchestra the confrontation of works of Basquiat, Blanchard, Boisrond, Combas, Crash landing, Di Rosa, Haring, James, Tseng Kwong Chi and Scharf. '

1985 First retrospective of Robert Combas to the museum of the Holy-Cross abbey of Sand-in Olonne, presented thereafter to Gemeente Museum of Helmond and in 1986 with the Museum of Art and & Industry of Saint-Etienne. - Personal Exposure of Boisrond to the capc Museum of Contemporary art of Bordeaux. - Herve Di Rosa carries out the poster and the cover of the catalog of Biennial of Paris. - Prize winner of a purse " Médicis villa out the murs" , Remi Blanchard remains eight month in New York (workshop PS1).

Related articles

External bonds

  • * Free figuration, text of Herve Perdriolle, Free July 1986
  • Figuration France/USA conference
  • Néo-expressionnisme
  • Bad painting and free Figuration, the years 1980

See too

Sometimes joined in this term of free Figuration even if they were not present in the historical exposures. The group Bazooka, the Brothers Ripoulin, smoking Moslems and Francky Servant boy, Speedy Graphito, VLP (Painting Lives), the group Nuklé-Art, Kriki, Kim Prisu, Captain Cavern, Groupe Dix10, created in 1982 (Roma Napoli and J.J. Dow Jones), Didier Chamizo, Placid and Muzo, Nina Childress, Frederic Close, Paella Chimicos, Suburbs Suburbs, Jerome Mesnager, Blek the rat, Patrick Moya, Etherno, Marie Rouffet, Miss.Tic, or Gerard Zlotykamien ----

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