Claude Viallat
Encyclopedia
Claude Viallat is a French contemporary painter
.
, he grew up in Aubais
, a French village with a strong bull tradition. In 1955, he joined the École des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School) in Montpellier
, where he met André-Pierre Arnal, Vincent Bioulès, Daniel Dezeuze, Toni Grand, François Rouan, and Henriette Pous, whom he married in 1962.
After doing his military service in Algeria from 1958 to 1961, he joined the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
(the National Fine Arts School) of Paris
, where he met fellow students Joël Kermarrec, Pierre Buraglio, and Michel Parmentier. He discovered American art
in Paris, notably the works of Kenneth Noland
, Morris Louis, Sam Francis
, and Mark Rothko
. As soon as 1963, he was attracted to abstraction
. He was appointed as a teacher in the École des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts School) of Nice
in 1964 and decided to create a new formal language questioning the conventions of classical painting. He then started working systematically with one shape affixed on canvas without stretchers. His first personal exhibition took place at Nice’s Galerie A in 1966. He also participated in several collective exhibitions that year.
In 1967, he was appointed as a teacher in the École des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts) in Limoges
, where he met Raoul Hausmann
. In 1968, in Paris, Viallat had his first personal exhibition at the gallery led by Jean Fournier – who remained his gallerist for nearly thirty years.
He then participated in an exhibition that arguably originated the “Support/Surfaces” movement at the ARC, in the Modern Art Museum of Paris. His works were in most of the exhibitions of the movement from 1969 to 1971. Although he initiated this group and influenced it aesthetically through his pictorial works, he resigned on May 3, 1971 as he disagreed with the political and theoretical orientations imposed by Louis Cane and Marc Devade.
In 1972, during his first trip to the United States
, he discovered Jackson Pollock
's paintings and the art of Native Americans
. The same year, he participated in the “Amsterdam
-Düsseldorf
-Paris
” exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
of New York, and the “Douze Ans d'Art Contemporain en France” exhibition (Twelve Years of Contemporary Art in France) at the Grand Palais
in Paris
.
In 1973, he was appointed as an instructor at the École des Beaux-Arts (the Fine Arts School) of Luminy (located at avenue de Luminy, in Marseille
), and moved to Marseille. In 1974, the first ever Viallat exhibition in a museum was organised in Saint-Étienne
's Musée d'Art et d'Industrie (Museum of Art and Industry).
In 1979, Claude Viallat became director of the École des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School) of Nîmes. He started collecting objects related to bulls. His collection was the starting point of the Musée des Cultures Taurines (Museum of Bull Tradition) of Nîmes, opened in 1986.
The Centre National d'Art et de Culture George Pompidou (the National Modern Art Museum of Paris) hosted a Viallat retrospective in 1982.
He represented France at the Venice Biennial in 1988. The same year, he made the stained-glass windows of the Gothic Choir in Nevers Cathedral.
In 1991, he became a teacher at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
(National Fine Arts School) of Paris
and participated in the Supports/Surfaces historical and retrospective exhibition at the Musée d'Art Moderne (Modern Art Museum) of Saint-Étienne.
In 2006, he was awarded with the Fine Arts Academy's Fondation Simone et Cino del Duca (Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation
) prize for painting .
In France he is represented by Bernard Ceysson, galerie Jean Fournier in Paris since 1968, and wiki:fr:Daniel Templon (from 1998), in Montpellier galerie Hélène Trintignan. Claude Viallat is also représented internationally in Tokyo by Gallery Itsutsuji
and in New-York by Leo Castelli
.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
.
Biography
Born in NîmesNîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, he grew up in Aubais
Aubais
Aubais is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.The little town is in an about 20 km distance from Nîmes and Aigues-Mortes. The recreation area of La Grande-Motte is reachable also in a distance of about 20 km.- History :...
, a French village with a strong bull tradition. In 1955, he joined the École des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School) in Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, where he met André-Pierre Arnal, Vincent Bioulès, Daniel Dezeuze, Toni Grand, François Rouan, and Henriette Pous, whom he married in 1962.
After doing his military service in Algeria from 1958 to 1961, he joined the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
(the National Fine Arts School) of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he met fellow students Joël Kermarrec, Pierre Buraglio, and Michel Parmentier. He discovered American art
American Art
American Art is the debut album of the band Weatherbox. It was released on May 8, 2007 on Doghouse Records. The album received critical acclaim from several sources including underground music distribution company Smartpunk, who lauded the band's style:...
in Paris, notably the works of Kenneth Noland
Kenneth Noland
Kenneth Noland was an American abstract painter. He was one of the best-known American Color field painters, although in the 1950s he was thought of as an abstract expressionist and in the early 1960s he was thought of as a minimalist painter. Noland helped establish the Washington Color School...
, Morris Louis, Sam Francis
Sam Francis
Samuel Lewis Francis was an American painter and printmaker.-Early life:...
, and Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
. As soon as 1963, he was attracted to abstraction
Abstraction
Abstraction is a process by which higher concepts are derived from the usage and classification of literal concepts, first principles, or other methods....
. He was appointed as a teacher in the École des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts School) of Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
in 1964 and decided to create a new formal language questioning the conventions of classical painting. He then started working systematically with one shape affixed on canvas without stretchers. His first personal exhibition took place at Nice’s Galerie A in 1966. He also participated in several collective exhibitions that year.
In 1967, he was appointed as a teacher in the École des Beaux-Arts (School of Fine Arts) in Limoges
Limoges
Limoges |Limousin]] dialect of Occitan) is a city and commune, the capital of the Haute-Vienne department and the administrative capital of the Limousin région in west-central France....
, where he met Raoul Hausmann
Raoul Hausmann
Raoul Hausmann was an Austrian artist and writer. One of the key figures in Berlin Dada, his experimental photographic collages, sound poetry and institutional critiques would have a profound influence on the European Avant-Garde in the aftermath of World War I.-Early biography:Raoul Hausmann was...
. In 1968, in Paris, Viallat had his first personal exhibition at the gallery led by Jean Fournier – who remained his gallerist for nearly thirty years.
He then participated in an exhibition that arguably originated the “Support/Surfaces” movement at the ARC, in the Modern Art Museum of Paris. His works were in most of the exhibitions of the movement from 1969 to 1971. Although he initiated this group and influenced it aesthetically through his pictorial works, he resigned on May 3, 1971 as he disagreed with the political and theoretical orientations imposed by Louis Cane and Marc Devade.
In 1972, during his first trip to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he discovered Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock
Paul Jackson Pollock , known as Jackson Pollock, was an influential American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. During his lifetime, Pollock enjoyed considerable fame and notoriety. He was regarded as a mostly reclusive artist. He had a volatile personality, and...
's paintings and the art of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. The same year, he participated in the “Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
-Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
-Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
” exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
of New York, and the “Douze Ans d'Art Contemporain en France” exhibition (Twelve Years of Contemporary Art in France) at the Grand Palais
Grand Palais
This article contains material abridged and translated from the French and Spanish Wikipedia.The Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais , is a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
In 1973, he was appointed as an instructor at the École des Beaux-Arts (the Fine Arts School) of Luminy (located at avenue de Luminy, in Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
), and moved to Marseille. In 1974, the first ever Viallat exhibition in a museum was organised in Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
's Musée d'Art et d'Industrie (Museum of Art and Industry).
In 1979, Claude Viallat became director of the École des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School) of Nîmes. He started collecting objects related to bulls. His collection was the starting point of the Musée des Cultures Taurines (Museum of Bull Tradition) of Nîmes, opened in 1986.
The Centre National d'Art et de Culture George Pompidou (the National Modern Art Museum of Paris) hosted a Viallat retrospective in 1982.
He represented France at the Venice Biennial in 1988. The same year, he made the stained-glass windows of the Gothic Choir in Nevers Cathedral.
In 1991, he became a teacher at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
The École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts is the distinguished National School of Fine Arts in Paris, France.The École des Beaux-arts is made up of a vast complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte, in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près,...
(National Fine Arts School) of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and participated in the Supports/Surfaces historical and retrospective exhibition at the Musée d'Art Moderne (Modern Art Museum) of Saint-Étienne.
In 2006, he was awarded with the Fine Arts Academy's Fondation Simone et Cino del Duca (Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation
Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation
The Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation is a charitable foundation based in Paris, France. It was established in 1975 by Simone Del Duca , widow of publishing magnate Cino Del Duca...
) prize for painting .
In France he is represented by Bernard Ceysson, galerie Jean Fournier in Paris since 1968, and wiki:fr:Daniel Templon (from 1998), in Montpellier galerie Hélène Trintignan. Claude Viallat is also représented internationally in Tokyo by Gallery Itsutsuji
Gallery Itsutsuji
Gallery Itsutsuji is a contemporary art gallery founded in 1990 by Michiyasu Itsutsuji.- History :Expanding a tradition built over 20 years from around 1970 to 1990 by Fuji Television Gallery, Michiyasu Itsutsuji founded in the traditional cultural heart of Tokyo this contemporary art gallery in...
and in New-York by Leo Castelli
Leo Castelli
Leo Castelli was an American art dealer. He was best known to the public as an art dealer whose gallery showcased cutting edge Contemporary art for five decades...
.