André Brasilier in London

in London

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in London

19 October - 9 November 2018

Preface

Opera Gallery London is proud to present the latest

Opera Gallery London is delighted to present the work of André Brasilier.

exhibition of works from French master André Brasilier.

The product of a life and a career permeated by the sacredness of art, his

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busy and bustling city provides an interesting

firm spiritual belief in a superior order, an unlimited love for his wife and

counter point to the peaceful and harmonious scenes

the harmony between nature and her creations. Brasilier’s paintings allow

that Brasilier depicts in his art. A selection of twenty-

us to contemplate a golden moment. A dream, a delicate reverie, a moment

eight paintings will take us into the realm of lyrical

of lyricism for the eyes and for the soul to escape in to.

romance populated by spirited horses sprinting across the shoreline, enchanted forests covered by candied

An instant’s diversion from the frenetically paced, iron and steel city.

snowfall and pensive women by moonlight.

The apparent simplicity with which Brasilier composes his visionary dioramas is extraordinary: with only a few brush strokes he captures the sensual silhouette of a woman in thought or the noble features of a horse in motion. The artist has developed this unique

Gi l l es Dyan Chairman and Founder, Opera Gallery Group Séb ast i e n Pl ant i n Director, Opera Gallery London

style over a seventy-year-long career, inspired by the Expressionist and Fauvist movements.

Major retrospectives of his work have been held at the Musée Picasso-Château Grimaldi in Antibes and at the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.

Through Brasilier’s paintings, we can immerse ourselves in a timeless and fleeting moment, in which human beings live in celebrated harmony with nature, where men and women are bound by devotion to one another, and in which time passes gently and slowly like the rivers that flow in his paintings.

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‘And to end, by constantly stripping away the superfluous, I think I have found something more accurate, more complete.

My only aspiration is to say things simply’.

André Brasilier

Everything is more immediate. Remorselessly, he grasps a vision, at the very instant that it is born. The composition is barely sketched, the lines are sometimes trembling or uncertain, the touch is evanescent. There are drips and splotches. One could almost say it is perfectly imperfect. Here, the strength lies in the absence of affectation or a deliberate style. It is the art of renouncing to seek his own truth as if, at last, he had fully accepted who he is, neither adding nor subtracting anything.

On the artist’s latest works When asked about his roots and his origins, there are three essential elements André Brasilier unfailingly mentions: his birth in the Anjou-Touraine region, the land of Du Bellay and Ronsard, his life in the Ile-de-France, home to La Fontaine and Claudel and then the way he learned his profession by studying the French painters: Poussin, Watteau, Delacroix, Matisse, and Rouault. He also underscores the importance of his family inheritance, particularly his father’s legacy: ‘Today I understand better that I am still deeply influenced by my father’s origins. He was a member of the Rosicrucian order, or to be more precise he was very attached to the symbolist school of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a spiritual world. I was marked by that and I think it appears in my work.’

On this subject, he defines himself as a Christian: ‘a poor Christian, no doubt, but a Christian with conviction. I have no doubts or hesitations. I have always had the conviction, the certainty of being born in the truth that my parents inculcated in me, and it only increases over time. The words of the Bible nourish me. And I feel like a sinner. A sinner, but with convictions. I have no fear of death’. He just hopes, he adds, that there will be paint brushes and colours there, on the other side. He is quite unique, to say the least, as

The notions of fashion or a period are completely absent. It is just a struggle with

today, few artists define themselves in this way: a native land and a religion, reinforced by

oneself and painting, like Jacob fighting the angel.

a spiritual aspiration.

Chromatic sonatas, enchanting visions, an ode to Life. Those familiar with the artist’s As for his artistic credo, it has remained unchanged over sixty years of painting: more than

work will not be disoriented. His favourite themes are present, with Chantal, of course in

figuration, painting is an act of transfiguration. Hence his refusal of any kind of realism.

first place (I married my muse, he says), as well as sumptuous nature landscapes (idyllic

Very early on, he adopted Gauguin’s phrase: ‘One should not paint reality but what

countryside or vast open spaces by the sea) horses, music, moonlight, still or running

seems real’. The greatest challenge, according to him, is to successfully capture the

water. The works are virile, fiery yet delicate.

human face, whether reduced to an anonymous silhouette or the portrait of Chantal, his lifelong companion.

The artist really sees the world just as he becomes aware of its imminent disappearance.

The apparent simplicity of his work is the result of a paring down towards ever-greater frugality. And today the artist seems to have managed to do away with his own past, to

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surpass the limits of his range of skills, as he leaves more room for accidents and renounces

David Rosenberg

the idea of ‘doing things well’. Instead he just does.

Paris, August 2018

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Keywords to André Brasilier’s Work Art Without exaggeration, André Brasilier lives surrounded by art and artworks. Coming from a family of artists, the painter has dedicated seventy years to painting and lives surrounded by it, be that sculptures or books on masterpieces.

Brush “Velázquez said that painting should be done with large brushes. That’s how I work. The emotion contained in a colour is expressed by this generosity, by expressing without restrains. ” – André Brasilier Chantal “She is a constant source of inspiration. She has allowed me to penetrate the world’s many nuances.” says Brasilier about his wife and muse Chantal. We find her allure throughout his work.

Dancing “I was immediately fascinated by Tango. I don’t dance but I love the music: the rhythms, the sudden violence of the bodies. Women dropping suddenly to their knees. A dance of such superb contrasts and violent extremes…exhilarating.”

Loupeigne The country house in Loupeigne, as well as the one in which the artist grew up in during his childhood, in Ménil-Vicomte, are places for meditation and reflection. The artist lives in Paris, but there is a special place in his heart for the rustling of tree leaves and rolling meadows.

Music “Everything is beautiful in music, the discipline of the orchestra, the harmony of a quartet.” Indeed, music is a reoccurring theme in the artist’s work where colours and melody blend together.

Nature “As for nature, I’ve always liked landscapes, pastoral scenes. I remember my first impressions of rural scenes, like oxen pulling a plough...” It is the backdrop against which Brasilier weaves many of his lyric representations.

Pompadour André Brasilier spent three years decorating an ancient chapel in Pompadour that was inaugurated in 2008.

Figure Just one touch, one stroke, the sketch of just one shape surfaced to breathe life into his characters. André Brasilier believes in the importance of representing figures for the practice of painters.

French tradition “I learned how to paint studying French painters: Poussin, Watteau, Delacroix, Matisse, Rouault. Simply put, this is where my roots are.” And the French artist continues to work in this great tradition.

Horses Man’s fascination with horses goes back to the dawn of time. Horses have been an object of admiration since men lived in grottos. They are depicted with spirit and energy in many of Brasilier’s impressive painting, expressing a sensation of strength and liberty.

Influences “Being who you really are is the real difficulty. If you look at my first few paintings and compare them to what I’m doing today, you won’t see any clear-cut break. You’ll see evolution, sure, but no rupture. Of course, I grew thanks to my encounters with other artists and their work. Pollock comes to mind, for example, even though he seems light years away from my style. I also think of Picasso, Rouault. Each one taught me something. But that doesn’t mean they transformed my work. Enriched my own, personal vision of art and life, oui.”

Brasilier states. “That’s also why I’m so grateful to the Grand Masters who went before us and who left us such powerful works of art; they actually help us continue on.”

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Chapel interior, Sainte-Blaise, Arnac-Pompadour

Rome In 1953, aged only 23, Brasilier won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome of painting. Like Ingres and Fragonard before him, the young painter studied in Villa Medici and traveled extensively in Europe.

Spirituality André Brasilier is a devoted Christian. The peace and serenity his faith inspire in him transpire in the works he creates.

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Recent works

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‘For me, one can measure the importance of a painter by his or her ability to portray the human form.’

André Brasilier

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Promenade d’hiver, 2018

Le Manteau afghan, 2017-2018

Oil on canvas 130 x 89 cm - 51.2 x 35 in

Oil on canvas 130 x 89 cm - 51.2 x 35 in

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Bouquet d’anniversaire, 2018 Oil on canvas 162 x 97 cm - 63.8 x 38.2 in

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La grande baigneuse, 2018

Soir d’été, 2018

Oil on canvas 162 x 114 cm - 63.8 x 44.9 in

Oil on canvas 146 x 97 cm - 57.5 x 38.2 in

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Bientôt la nuit, 2018 Oil on canvas 162 x 114 cm - 63.8 x 44.9 in

Next page:

La Nuit, 2018 Oil on canvas 130 x 195 cm - 51.2 x 76.8 in

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La Chambre rose, 2018 Oil on canvas 89 x 146 cm - 35 x 57.5 in

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‘I really like this animal, as much for its beauty as for the harmony that it has with nature.’ AndrĂŠ Brasilier

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Cavalcade autour du parc, 2018

Vincennes sous la neige, 2018

Oil on canvas 130 x 195 cm - 51.2 x 76.8 in

Oil on canvas 89 x 146 cm - 35 x 57.5 in

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Grande Fantasia Marocaine, 2018 Oil on canvas 165 x 205 cm - 65 x 80.7 in

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Cavalcade d’automne, 2018

Rivage bleu, 2018

Oil on canvas 97 x 146 cm - 38.2 x 57.5 in

Oil on canvas 89 x 146 cm - 35 x 57.5 in

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Plages des Flandres, 2018 Oil on canvas 100 x 73 cm - 39.4 x 28.7 in

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Cavaliers sur la neige, 2018

L’Heure oÚ les chevaux vont boire, 2017

Oil on canvas 61 x 38 cm - 24 x 15 in

Oil on canvas 73 x 100 cm - 28.7 x 39.4 in

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‘Poetry, Music and Painting: all spring from the same source of emotions that have penetrated both heart and soul.’

André Brasilier

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Musique sacrĂŠe, 2018 Oil on canvas 54 x 73 cm - 21.3 x 28.7 in

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Hommage Ă Scott Joplin, 2017 Oil on canvas 92 x 60 cm - 36.2 x 23.6 in

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Musique aux Invalides, 2018 Oil on canvas 89 x 130 cm - 35 x 51.2 in

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Le Kremlin, 2008 Oil on canvas 130 x 81 cm - 51.2 x 31.9 in

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Another reoccurring subject of Brasilier is the horse, which he has admired and loved since he was a little boy. Set against the most simplistic and romantic backgrounds, the artist effortlessly transports us into surreal landscapes, lightening the soul with dreamy infusions of figures set in modest hues of colour, shape and form. In an intimate communion with nature, Brasilier draws his inspiration from its language, sounds and colours, reminding us of a natural beauty untouched by daily trivialities and events. Brasilier’s paintings depict a peaceful, comfortable world, free from care, in a very simple, stylish manner, with delicate harmonies bathed in accommodating sunlight.

Brasilier had his first retrospective of one hundred artworks from 1950-1980 at the Château de Chenonceau in 1980 and a retrospective exhibition at the Musée Picasso-Château Grimaldi in Antibes, the French Riviera, in 1988. He has since been honoured with major retrospectives both at Russia’s renowned State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg in 2005 and at the Museum Haus Ludwig für Kunstausstellungen Saarlois in Germany in 2007.

The artist’s palette

andré brasilier (b. 1929) André Brasilier was born into an artistic family in Saumur, France in 1929. Possessing a natural inclination for painting at an early age, he went to Paris to study at the École de Beaux-Arts when he was twenty years old. In 1952, Brasilier received a grant from the Florence Blumenthal Foundation. The following year, when he was only 23, Brasilier won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome which entitled him to study at the Académie de France in Rome. He lived at the Villa Medici from 1954 to 1957. He also received the Prix Charles-Morellet at the Salon de la Jeune Peinture in 1961 and the Prix de Villeneuve-sur-Lot in 1962.

While Brasilier’s works reflect the influences of Expressionist artists and Japanese prints, he has retained a personal style of schematised nature and imagery that makes him an anomaly in the contemporary zeitgeist. His subdued paintings often feature themes and motifs of horses, nature, music and women, provocative in their timelessness and emotional subjectivity. One of Brasilier’s main subjects included his wife, the muse he has loved his entire life and that he depicts as his constant source of inspiration.

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The artist’s studio

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CHRONOLOGY

1929

Born in Saumur, in Anjou, France

1949

École Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France

1952

Wins the Florence Blumenthal Prize

1953

Wins Premier Grand Prix de Rome of Painting Award

1954

Stay at Villa Medici, Rome, Italy

1957

Travels around the world

1959 First lithography in Mourlot’s workshop, advised by Jacques Sorlier First exhibition in Paris, on the theme of music, Galerie Drouet, Paris, France 1960 First exhibition at the Galerie Weil, Paris, France Wins Villeneuve-sur-Lot Award 1962

David B. Findlay Galleries, New York, USA

1963

David B. Findlay Galleries, New York, USA

1964

Galerie Weil, Paris, France

1969 First exhibition at Galerie de Paris, Paris, France First exhibition at Yoshii Gallery, Tokyo, Japan Centre Gildas Fardel, Nantes Museum, Nantes, France 1971 Arte Gallery, Caracas, Venezuela David B. Findlay Galleries, New York, USA 1972

Galerie de Paris, Paris, France

1974 Exhibition of lithographs and tapestries, Galerie Vision Nouvelle, Paris, France Yoshii Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 1976

Galerie de Paris, Paris, France

1979

Galerie Matignon, Paris, France

1980 First retrospective (1950-1980), 100 artworks at the Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceau, France 1983 Exhibition of watercolours, Galerie des Chaudronniers, Geneva, Switzerland Nichido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan 1985 Exhibition at Hammer Gallery, New York, USA Decors and costumes for Ciboulette, a Reynaldo Hahn play, staged by Pierre Jourdan

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1987

Mosaic work (15 x 3 m), Vence, France

1988 Buschlen Mowatt Galleries, Vancouver, Canada

2002

Mitsukoshi department store, Nihonbashi, Tokyo, Japan

2003

Publication of the Catalogue raisonné of paintings 1982-2002, Éditions Acatos

Retrospective exhibition at the Musée Picasso-Château Grimaldi, Antibes, France

2004

Mainau Castle, Constance Lake, Germany

Receives the Médaille de Vermeil distinction, granted by the Ville de Paris, France

2005 Galerie Schüller, Munich, Germany

Galerie Hopkins-Thomas, Paris, France

Exhibition of watercolours, Galerie Barès, Paris, France

1989 Hommage à André Brasilier, Angers, France 1990

Retrospective at The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia

Receives the Chevalet d’or dinstinction

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Nichido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2007 Retrospective in five cities in Japan, Tokyo, Nagoya, Niigata, Sapporo, Fukuoka

1991 Publication of Harmonies, an album of 10 lithographs (text by Yann le Pichon) presented

André Brasilier chez La Fontaine, Jean de La Fontaine Museum, Château-Thierry, France

at Drouot Montaigne, Paris, France

E.J. van Wisselingh & Co, Haarlem, The Netherlands

1992 Publication of the Catalogue raisonné des lithographies, Éditions Callithos André Brasilier à Bagatelle: retrospective exhibition organised by Didier Jumaux

Retrospective at Espace des Arts, Paris, France

Museum Haus Ludwig für Kunstausstellungen Saarlouis, March, Saarlouis, Germany 2008 Inaugural ceremony for the Chapel of Saint-Blaise, Pompadour, France

Partenaires, Mairie de Paris, Paris, France

Etchings-Illustrated books, Bibliothèque Louis Nucéra, Nice, France

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Château de Sédières, Clergoux, France

1994

2009

Musée des Beaux-Arts, Palais Carnolés, Menton, France

2010 Gallery Artbank, Seoul, Korea

1995 Nichido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

Château de Chenonceau, Chenonceau, France

Ceramics exhibition, Galerie Landrot, Paris, France

2011

Moulins Albigeois, Albi, France

Arsenal de Metz, Metz, France

2012

Opera Gallery, Hong Kong

Paintings exhibition, Galerie Bac Saint-Germain, Paris, France

2013

Opera Gallery, London, UK

Exhibition of watercolours, Buschlen Mowatt Galleries, Vancouver, Canada

2014

Opera Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland

André Brasilier & Auguste Rodin, Opera Gallery, Singapore

1996 Soufer Gallery, New York, USA Château de Vascoeuil, Vascoeuil, France

2015 Roaming in Nature, Opera Gallery, Seoul, Korea

Permanent exhibition, Galerie Bac Saint-Germain, Paris, France

André Brasilier & Mauro Corda, Opera Gallery, Dubai, UAE

1997 Nichido Gallery, Tokyo, Japan Exhibition in Verden, Germany 1998

Travelling exhibition in Japan: Tokyo, Sendai, Nagoya, Fukuoka

On Idle Shores, Opera Gallery, Hong Kong 2016 Arabesque, Opera Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon

Printemps Ginza, Tokyo, Japan

1999 Exhibition of watercolours, Galerie Nichido, Paris, France

Opera Gallery, Paris, France 2017

André Brasilier in New York, New York, USA

Kunsthaus Bühler Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Garden Gallery, Nice, France Les Salles du Palais Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland

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Published by Opera Gallery to coincide with the exhibition AndrĂŠ Brasilier in London, October to November 2018, London.

All rights reserved. Except for the purposes of review, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Acknowledgements The artist would like to address his special thanks to his son Alexis and his wife Chantal, to Gilles and Florence Dyan, and to all his devoted collectors without whom this adventure would not have been possible.

Cover: Grande Fantasia Marocaine, 2018

Designer: Laurent Aidenbaum Coordinator: Lou Mo Writers: David Rosenberg, Lou Mo, Federica Beretta Translator: Renuka George Printer: St Austell Printing Company

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