{"title":"Olivier Debré (1920 - 1999) or the definition of space","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"1\"\u003eBorn in Paris in 1920 to a family of doctors and artists, Olivier Debré initially pursued architectural studies at the École des Beaux-Arts in 1938 before definitively choosing the path of painting. His early creative years were marked by a figurative approach inherited from Impressionism, which would evolve into much more airy compositions with large colored surfaces, making him one of the major representatives of gestural abstraction. His work notably caught the attention of Pablo Picasso as early as 1941.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"2\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eFrom the New School of Paris to transatlantic dialogue\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"2\"\u003eAfter the war, his artistic vision was transformed by the effervescence of the Parisian avant-garde. Meeting major figures of the New School of Paris like André Lanskoy – a decisive encounter that injected new impetus into his treatment of color – Debré became part of this great dynamic alongside other masters of post-war abstraction such as Bram van Velde, Hans Hartung, and Serge Poliakoff, tutelary figures of this modernity that is passionately collected. His compositions broke free from realism to move towards a more assertive structure, which he revealed at his first solo exhibition at the Bing Gallery in June 1949.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003eIn the 1950s, Debré developed a singular style: attentive to the work of Nicolas de Staël, he temporarily borrowed his use of the palette knife and rich monolithic impasto to build his canvases with monumental architectural rigor. His path then crossed that of leading artistic figures, such as gallery owner Michel Warren, who organized his seminal solo exhibitions in Paris starting in 1956. It was around this same time that his career opened up to the international scene: in 1959, he inaugurated his first solo exhibition in New York at the Knoedler Gallery. Across the Atlantic, critics, like Sydney Tillim in \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"616\"\u003eArts\u003c\/i\u003e magazine in 1959, described his work as \"masonry.\" This trip was also marked by his meeting with Mark Rothko, whose vast spaces with radiant colored lights echoed his own explorations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eSign-Painting\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"4\"\u003eBack in France, his gesture blossomed more fluidly. The artist then took on increasingly large formats, where color gained transparency and vibration through a subtle interplay of fluid washes that he allowed to flow freely. In this fluid and colorful maturity, his canvases are in no way representations of a landscape: Debré evokes the pure sensation he experienced in contact with a real place. His works thus become \"sign-paintings,\" carrying the foundational notion of event: painting is not the creation of a simple art object, but the direct and living trace of an event that occurred. Faced withকোষ the immensity of these canvases, the viewer's experience unfolds in an intimate and striking movement: captivated by the density of a detail, their gaze travels, rises, and gradually embraces the totality of the work, from the particular to the global.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003eA key figure in post-war art and transatlantic dialogue, Debré received numerous institutional recognitions, from his first retrospective at the Musée des Beaux-Arts du Havre in 1966 to the major exhibition at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume in 1995. He deployed this monumental mastery through prestigious public commissions, notably designing the stage curtains for the Comédie-Française and the Hong Kong and Shanghai operas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003eOlivier Debré, who passed away in Paris in June 1999, just after being elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, left the imprint of a master tirelessly attuned to the vibrations of the world and light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eBiographical sources:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\"\u003eOlivier Debré catalogue raisonné.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\"\u003eExhibition catalogue \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"21\"\u003eOlivier Debré\u003c\/i\u003e, Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, June 27 – September 24, 1995.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"olivier-debre-nature-morte-1943-huile-sur-toile-signee","title":"Olivier DEBRÉ - Still Life (1943) - Oil on canvas, signed","description":"\u003ch2\u003eA Rare Early Still Life\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDiscover this oil on canvas signed by Olivier Debré (1920-1999) and dated 1943. A testament to a pivotal period in the master's journey, this work illustrates the young artist's formal explorations under the influence of synthetic cubism, before his definitive shift towards lyrical abstraction that would bring him worldwide renown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePainted during wartime, this composition demonstrates Debré's rigor in constructing pictorial space. The sober palette and structured forms recall the lessons of the Grands-Augustins studio and his careful observation of the great masters of Cubism.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"At \u003ci\u003etwenty-two, I was obsessed with Picasso. The intellectual structure of his research and his truly brilliant discoveries fascinated me. For me, it was about recreating, through a more abstract analysis, a sensitive world\u003c\/i\u003e\" Olivier Debré (exhibition catalog, Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, 1995, p. 139)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is therefore a foundational piece, essential for any collector seeking to document the plastic roots of one of the greatest French painters of the 20th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTechnical Specifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtist \u003c\/strong\u003e: Olivier DEBRÉ (1920-1999)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTitle\u003c\/strong\u003e : Still Life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate\u003c\/strong\u003e : 1943\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedium \u003c\/strong\u003e: Oil on canvas\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSignature \u003c\/strong\u003e: Signed and dated lower left\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions \u003c\/strong\u003e: H 54 x W 73 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFramed painting\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis work is listed in the Olivier Debré Committee archives. Its publication in the catalogue raisonné will take place according to the editorial schedule for the different series of works.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCondition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe work is offered in its original condition. The canvas is in very good condition. The pictorial layer shows some losses, mainly at the edges, but these do not detract from the qualities of this very beautiful painting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA condition report is available upon request.\u0026nbsp;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eStudio Cinquante's Take\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are delighted to offer this painting, which contains the seeds of much of the artist's power: the harmony of muted tones, the simplification of forms to get to the essence of the object. The architectural construction, of the bottle for example, achieves a form of monumentality. The luminosity of the glass captured with magnificent economy of means.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u003c\/span\u003eThis is a rare piece for enthusiasts of \"first steps.\" One already feels the tension and mastery of material that would define Debré's future \"Signes-Paysages.\" Its generous size makes it a painting with a strong presence, ideal for a modern interior seeking to combine art history and character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor any inquiries regarding this work, its history, or to arrange a viewing, please contact us directly via our form or \u003ca title=\"gallery email\" href=\"mailto:contact@studiocinquante.com\"\u003econtact@studiocinquante.com\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Studio Cinquante","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54204760293714,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1036\/2444\/2194\/files\/FP37Debre.jpg?v=1786118186"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1036\/2444\/2194\/collections\/olivier_debre.jpg?v=1786020581","url":"https:\/\/www.studiocinquante.com\/en\/collections\/olivier-debre.oembed","provider":"Studio Cinquante","version":"1.0","type":"link"}