CAZIEL: "Je Suis Abstrait", Works from the Fifties by Whitford Fine Art

CAZIEL A R T

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F I N E A R T

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WHITFORD

“JE SUIS ABSTRAIT” Works from the Fifties

8th – 31st October 2008

All Works are for Sale

WHITFORD F I N E A R T

6 DUKE STREET ST. JAMES’S LONDON SW1Y 6BN TEL. +44 (0)20 7930 9332 EMAIL info@whitfordfineart.com

Above: Caziel (Kazimierz Jozef Zielenkiewicz) with Picasso, Paris, 1951 Front cover: Geometric Composition, c.1955 (cat. no. 36)

CAZIEL: ‘Je suis abstrait’ Work from the Fifties

Paris – 1952

When the legendary Cubist art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler assumed Caziel’s abstract work to be an experiment from which he would return to figuration, Caziel insisted ‘Non, je suis abstrait’.

Kahnweiler’s wish to include Caziel in his stable of figurative artists headed by Picasso, occured at a time when Caziel had turned to Abstraction, ensued by the exciting developments of the movement following the end of the Second World War. In October 1944 the Galerie Berri-Raspail hosted an exhibition bringing together the work of the pioneers of Abstraction Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. Condemned by the Nazis as ‘degenerate’, Abstraction became the obvious course to run the rehabilitation of modern art. The prevailing tendency was that of geometrical abstraction but artists experimented in different directions, including ‘abstraction gestuel’ and ‘abstraction matière’. The foundation of the Salon des Surindépendants in 1945 and the Salon des Réalites nouvelles in 1946-47, sought to unite the heterogeneous abstract developments articulated in the work of Jean-Michel Atlan, Hans Hartung, Yves Klein, Georges Mathieu, Joan Miró, Serge Poliakoff, Pierre Soulages and Victor Vasarely.

In 1952 a group of young artists who had come to non-figuration around 1950, established the Salon d’Octobre. Headed by Charles Estienne, and supported by Galerie Maeght they aimed to rival the Salon des Réalites nouvelles. In his preface to the 1950 edition of ‘Les Mains éblouis’ exhibition at Galerie Maeght, Michel Seuphor defined the style of this group as a synthesis of Expressionism, Surrealism and Abstraction. Its members, including Pierre Alechinsky, Corneille, Huguette Bertrand, Jacques Doucet and Serge Rezvani dissociated from Picasso to favour the lyricism of Klee, Kandinsky and Miró.

Although Caziel never officially exhibited with the lyrical abstractionists, his personal development mirrors that of the ‘Mains éblouis’ group. Caziel’s friendship with Picasso, with whom he shared a studio for five years after the Second World War, remained close, but his search for a fourth dimension heralds the end of Picasso’s influence and the beginning of his experiments with the ideas of Kandinsky and Miró of transcending the second and third dimension. Caziel’s expression of the fourth dimension resulted in paintings of superimposed biomorphic shapes and lines in different strong colours against a black or a white background. These works reverberate light, space and rhythm in order to create a sensation similar to emotions engendered by music.

Caziel’s annual submissions to the Salon de Mai, 1948-1956, where his work was shown alongside Vasarely, Hartung and Manessier, demonstrated his dedication to the Abstract cause. Official recognition of his abstract work came in 1951, when the Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, purchased a monumental work. In 1953, The Vatican Museum commissioned a suite of four large paintings. In London his abstract work was the subject of two one-man shows, 1966 and 1968, at the Grabowski gallery.

This exhibition reveals Caziel’s early abstract work. It includes his first abstract paintings, which combine a Cubist-influenced aesthetic and geometric decomposition, alongside his mature abstract style in which lyricism and geometrical abstraction merge. With these works Caziel believed that, as possibly Picasso and Braque did when they invented Cubism, he was reaching for a higher order of reality, a new perspective, which hinted at the spiritual.

A highly personal expression of his epicurean belief that painting should bring joy, Caziel’s work of the 1950s figures within the upbeat current which defined Paris’ cultural identity in the aftermath of the Second World War.

An Jo Fermon, June 2008

Composition 11.52 1952 Gouache 65 x 50.5 cm

Composition 25.08.1956 1956 Oil on canvas 162 x 138 cm EXHIBITED: 1966, Grabwoski Gallery, London 1992, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective Exhibition, National Museum, Warsaw 2004, Caziel, The Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London LITERATURE: J. PERRY, The Grand Play of Light. The Art & Life of Caziel, AM Publications, London, 1997, ill. pl. 45, p. 55. D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 350, ill. no. 43, p. 99.

Composition 1950 Charcoal and watercolour 49 x 35.3 cm

Abstract Composition c.1949 Oil on canvas 62.5 x 40 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 212.

Composition 3.3.56 1956 Oil on canvas 46 x 38 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 341.

Composition c.1950 Gouache 46 x 33.5 cm

Composition #17 c.1949 Oil on canvas 33 x 60 cm EXHIBITED: 1997, Caziel, Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London, cat. no.17 LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 217.

Composition “Cobra” c.1949 Oil on canvas 32 x 41 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 191.

Composition c.1955 Oil on canvas 73 x 60 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 335.

10. Composition 49.XI.30 1949 Gouache and pencil 48 x 62.5 cm

11. Composition #41 1952 Gouache 55 x 76 cm EXHIBITED: 1997, Caziel, Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London, cat. no. 41

12. Organic Forms c.1950 Oil on canvas 110 x 135 cm EXHIBITED: 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective Exhibition, National Museum, Warsaw 2004, Caziel, The Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 235, ill. no. 34, p. 93.

13. Composition c.1955 Oil on canvas 46 x 38 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 331.

14. Composition c.1950 Gouache 15.5 x 49 cm

15. Composition c.1950 Gouache 32.5 x 62.5 cm

16. Composition 1950 Charcoal and watercolour 51 x 65.5 cm

17. Composition 09.51 1951 Oil on board 71.5 x 51 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 266.

18. Composition c.1950 Charcoal and watercolour 46.5 x 20 cm

19. Architectonic Composition c.1951 Oil on canvas 61 x 51 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 285.

20. Architectonic Composition c.1952 Oil on canvas 108 x 133 cm EXHIBITED: 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective Exhibition, National Museum, Warsaw LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 296, ill. no. 39, p. 95.

21. Composition 1950 Gouache and charcoal 49.5 x 65 cm

22. Composition 15.3.56 1956 Oil on canvas 46 x 38 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 342.

23. Composition c.1950 Charcoal and watercolour 48 x 63 cm

24. Composition c.1952 Oil on canvas 38 x 55 cm

25. Composition c.1951 Oil on board 27 x 37 cm

26. Composition c.1951 Oil on board 31 x 40 cm

27. Composition c.1951 Charcoal and gouache 41 x 61 cm

28. Composition 56.VII 1956 Charcoal and gouache 50 x 65.5 cm

29. Composition 19.May.1955 1955 Oil on canvas 73 x 91 cm Inscribed "Katika" verso LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 313A.

30. Architectonic Composition 1951 Oil on board 41 x 33 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 269.

31. Composition 12.8.55 1955 Oil on canvas 41 x 33 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat, rais. no. 321.

32. Architectonic Composition c.1952–3 Oil on canvas 90 x 128 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 299.

33. Composition c.1955 Oil on canvas 41 x 33 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 330.

34. Composition #25 c.1951 Oil on board 26.5 x 34.5 cm EXHIBITED: 1997, Caziel, Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London, cat. no. 25

35. Composition 1950 Charcoal and watercolour 51 x 66.5 cm

36. Geometric Composition c.1955 Oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 332.

37. Composition 11 May 52 1952 Pencil 55.5 x 50 cm

38. Cubist Nude Study c.1949 Oil on canvas 33 x 46 cm LITERATURE: D. MONKIEWICZ, Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ, National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no. 176.

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Composition 11.52 Composition 25.08.1956 Composition Abstract Composition Composition 3.3.56 Composition Composition #17 Composition â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cobraâ&#x20AC;? Composition Composition 49.XI.30 Composition #41 Organic Forms Composition Composition Composition Composition Composition 09.51 Composition Architectonic Composition Architectonic Composition Composition Composition 15.3.56 Composition Composition Composition Composition Composition Composition 56.VII Composition 19.May.1955 Architectonic Composition Composition 12.8.55 Architectonic Composition Composition Composition #25 Composition Geometric Composition Composition 11.05.52 Cubist Nude Study Composition Composition 11.1949

All works are signed or have the Studio stamp Left: 39. Composition c.1950, Gouache, 62 x 48 cm

WORKS

40. Composition 11.1949 1949 Gouache and pencil 47 x 62 cm

CHRONOLOGY & EXHIBITIONS 1906 Born in Sosnowiec, Poland, on 16th June 1931-36 Studied painting in Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts 1932 Exhibited at Loza Wolnomalarska (Lodge of Free Painters) 1937 Won a State scholarship to Italy and Paris 1939 Volunteered for the Polish Army in France 1946 Settled in France, Aix-en-Provence, later moved to Paris Designed the Polish Pavilion for UNESCO International Exhibition of Modern Art 1947 Held one-man show at the Galerie Allard, Paris 1948 Met Picasso with whom he developed a long standing friendship 1948-56 Exhibited at the Salon de Mai in Paris 1951 The Musée National d’Art Moderne purchased one of his monumental canvas works 1953 The Vatican commissioned four large paintings for their Museum of Modern Religious Art Designed frescoes for French architect Jean Ginsberg 1957 Married the Scottish painter Catherine Sinclair 1963 Exterior design for the Atomic Energy Commission at Tollemache House, Thurso 1966 First one-man in London, hosted by the Grabowski Gallery Second one-man show at the Grabowski Gallery, London 1966-68 Exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London 1968 Second one-man show at the Grabowski Gallery, London 1969 Left France to settle in Somerset, England 1978 Exhibited at the National Museum, Warsaw – Circle of Tadeusz Pruszkowski 1983 Exhibited works on paper at the Summer Exhibition at Fair Maids House Gallery, Perth 1988 Died in Somerset 1990 Memorial Exhibition at the Polish Cultural Institute, London 1991 Exhibition at the Butlin Gallery, Dillington House College, Ilminster, Somerset 1992 Exhibition of works from 1945 – 1988 at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol 1995 Exhibition Caziel (1906-1988): Substance and Light at Whitford Fine Art, London 1997 Exhibition Caziel: Drawings from the Fourties at Whitford Fine Art, London Exhibition Caziel: Works from the Fifties at Whitford Fine Art, London 1998 Retrospective Exhibition at the National Museum, Warsaw 2001 Exhibition Contour and Line: Selection of Works on Paper from 1965 by Caziel at Whitford Fine Art, London 2004 Exhibition Caziel: Abstraction: 1963 – 1967 at Whitford Fine Art, London Retrospective Exhibition at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London 2006 Centenary Retrospective Exhibition at Whitford Fine Art, London