Jean Carzou

Jean Carzou , of his true name Karnik Zouloumian is a painter, engraver and Décorateur French of origin Arménie nne, born with Alep (Syria) on January 1st 1907 and died in Périgueux (the Dordogne) the August 12th 2000.

Biography

He studies initially at the Pères Marists. In 1924, its brilliances school results at the Kaloustian school of the Cairo (Egypt) are worth a purse of the Armenian community to him.

After a long career of painter, engraver and decorator of Theater, it had launched out, old already 83 years, in gigantic a Apocalypse of which it had countered the walls of the church of the Presentation Manosque (Alp-of-High-Provence). Not the literal illustration of the Apocalypse of Midsummer's Day, but “climate of our populated time” of devastated horizons, embrumés ships, tangled up rails and blockhouse translating its obsession of the war and the Holocaust. It in particular carried out there a superb portrait of woman-tree to the face of Madone, delivering in the world a message of eternal humanity.

It joined Paris for studies of Architecture. With the approach of the Years 1930, it “makes rounds, squares” with Montparnasse. It lives sparely thanks to its caricatures of politicians published in the press and in its drawings on fabrics. It paints “far from the schools”, making the experiment necessary to the result of its characters of “painter-craftsman” as it is named.

Since 1939, it organized more than one hundred particular exposures of its works in Paris, in province and abroad. It also takes part in several official exposures organized by France out of Europe, and receives prestigious Prix Hallmark with three recoveries (in 1949,1952 and 1955).

Carzou is not satisfied to paint blue and singular fabrics. It enchases its tables and its watercolours in medallions of velvet or papers notched. To some critic art which describe it as “decorator”, it launches “you will have painting but also theater”. In 1952, its realization of the decoration and costumes for the act of Incas of the the gallant Indies of Jean-Philippe Rameau with the national Opéra of Paris reveals it with the general public. It connects with the Wolf (1953) for the Ballets of Roland Petit. Gisele (1954) and Athalie (1955) charms the spectators of the Opera and the Comédie-Française.

In 1977, Carzou draws itself its sword of academician before making his entry with the Institut of the Art schools. Destroyer of the laxism of the modern society in general, and the cubism in particular, it estimates that Picasso is “a personality which does not make painting”. Only Claude Lorrain, Watteau and Dali is, according to him, “of great painters”. He buys also works of his colleagues figurative painters, and in particular of Maurice Boitel with the gallery Drouet, Faubourg Saint-Honore, with the beginning of the year 1980.

Author of an important lithographic work and illustration ( the Illuminations of Rimbaud) and tapestries, decorator of vault of the church of the convent of Manosque become Foundation Carzou in 1991, the artist saw his work devoted in 1986, with Vence (the Alpes-Maritimes), with the opening of a museum to his name, but which will be closed a few years later.

Father of the realizer and writer Jean-Marie Carzou, grandfather of the writer and journalist Louis Carzou, Jean Carzou was widowed of Nane (Jeanne Gabrielle Blanc), deceased in March 1998.

He was Officier of the Légion of honor, Commandeur of the National order of the Merit and Commandeur of the Ordre of Arts and the Letters.

He is deceased on August 12th, 2000 with Périgueux, at the 93 years age, after having acquired an international repute. The France, the Great Britain, the the United States, the Egypt, the Japan accommodated several of its exposures of inks, pencils, gouaches or strange pastels.

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