Pierre Alechinsky

Pierre Alechinsky (born the October 19th 1927 with Brussels) is a painter and Belgian engraver , which joins together in its work Expressionnisme and Surréalisme.

Biography

Of 1944 with 1948, it studies the illustration of the book, the typography, the techniques of printing works and photography with 3Ecole Nationale Sup3erieure of Architecture and visual Arts of Cambre with Brussels. It is for this period that he discovers the work of Henri Michaux, of Jean Dubuffet and the surrealist . It meets and binds friendship with the art critic Jacques Putman, which will devote many writings to its work. It starts to paint in 1947 and forms then part of the group “Young painting Belgian” , which joins together in particular Louis van Lint, Jan Cox, and Marc Mendelson.

Cobra

Pierre Alechinsky very quickly becomes one of the major actors of the Belgian artistic world of the post-war period. He founds with Olivier Strebelle, in a Community house, the Ateliers of the Marsh. After its meeting with the poet Christian Dotremont, one of the founders of the group Cobra (movement created in 1948, gathering artists resulting from CO penhague, Br uxelles and has msterdam, which recommends a return to an art more provocant, aggressive and daring), it adheres in 1949 to this movement of artistic avant-garde, joining Karel Appel and Asger Jorn. It takes part at once in the “First international exhibition Cobra” to the Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam.

During the short existence of the group, there is implied there very strongly, organizing exposures, like the “Second international exhibition of experimental art Cobra” to the palate of the Art schools of Liege (1951), and contributing to the realization of the review “Cobra”. The key role which for him the movement CoBrA plays is due as much to the people as with the defended ideas: spontaneousness without brake in art, from where rejection of the pure abstraction and “socialist realism”, refusal of specialization.

After the dissolution of the group Cobra, whose it will perpetuate the spirit (“Cobra, it is my school”, it could say), Pierre Alechinsky settles in Paris, where it goes côtoyer the surrealist ones. He will supplement his training of engraver and will initiate himself with novel methods with Workshop 17, directed by Stanley Hayter. It is the time, starting from 1952, where it binds friendship with Alberto Giacometti, Bram van Velde, Victor Brauner and where it begins a regular correspondence with the Japanese calligrapher Shiryu Morita of Kyōto.

Dedication

In 1954, it becomes acquainted with the Chinese painter Wallace Ting, which will have a great influence in the evolution of its work.

Alechinsky present, this same year, its first personal exposure to the gallery Nina Dausset, Paris. Its first great exposure is organized in 1955 to the Palais of the Art schools of Brussels. In 1958, it is Institute off Contemporary Arts of London which accommodates its works ( Alechinsky: inks ). In 1960, at the time of XXXe Biennale de Venise, it exposes to the Belgian House.

It gradually gives up oil for faster and more flexible materials like the ink, which enables him to give free course to a fluid and significant style. Fascinated by the Eastern penmanship, whose spontaneousness attracts it, it accomplishes several voyages in the Far East and makes in 1955 to Kyōto a documentary film on this Japanese traditional art.

Supported by the Gallery of France, it carries out, as from the Sixties, of frequent stays with New York, where it discovers in 1965 a technique which will be appropriate to him well, the acrylic painting, to which Wallace Ting initiates. This same year, it creates its most famous work “Central Park”, with which it inaugurates painting “with marginal remarks”, inspired by the cartoon, where the central image is surrounded, on the four sides, of a series of labels intended to supplement the direction of the table. The interaction between the two zones is at the same time enigmatic and attractive.

Always in 1965, André Breton, one year before its death, invite Pierre Alechinsky to take part in Xe International exhibition of Surrealism, “the Absolute Deviation” .

It illustrates the Traité exciting modern Honore de Balzac in 1989. The book, accompanied by a post face of Michel Butor is published by Yves Rivière.

In 1998 the national Gallery of Jeu de Paume, to Paris devotes an exposure to him. In 2004, new exposure to the National center of art and culture Georges-Pompidou, Paris

In April 2006, it is made in France knight of the Légion of honor.

In 2006, in the review of art HOLE n°16, a work “Handrail appears” which it especially created for this review and whose edition of head contains an etching entitled “last Time” drawn on sheets from an old register of the French customs.

It is interested in architecture.

In 2007, at the time of its 80 years, the Royal Museums of the Art schools of Belgium (Brussels) have paid to him homage through an exposure evoking its work undertaken for more than 60 years. (from 11/23/2007 to 3/30/2008)

Selective bibliography

Irene, Scut, Magritte & C° , Brussels, Museum Royal of the Art schools of Belgium, 1996, 558 p.
Its monograph by Edouard Jaguer

External bonds

Sources and resurgences of Pierre Alechinsky
Gallery of prints presenting of works of Pierre Alechinsky
Books of artist and prints of Pierre Alechinsky
Pierre Alechinsky in Artcyclopedia

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