05/11/2020
FINE ARTS PARIS 2020 is delighted to welcome new exhibitor Galerie Antoine Laurentin. Since its opening the Paris and Brussels based gallery has developed the tradition to put up parallel exhibitions of modern art alongside presentations of contemporary artists.
The gallery will offer this painting by Alfred Manessier (1911 - 1993) who was born into a family of craftsmen. He painted his first watercolours at the age of twelve inspired by the bay of the Somme touched by the fine light of the place. From 1924, he studied at the École des beaux-arts d'Amiens, entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1931 in the architecture section, but it was not until 1938 that he devoted himself to painting. The year 1943 was a pivotal year for Manessier, who, during a stay at the Abbey of La Trappe de Soligny, was so touched by faith that his work was profoundly impacted by it. It was then oriented towards a more spiritual path which manifested itself through the progressive rejection of figuration in favour of abstract art. Colour is to Manessier what melody is to the musician; an essential element in the harmony of the composition. Here, the confrontation of colours and shapes creates the dynamic rythm of the work and the black circle recalls his predilection for stained glass.
FINE ARTS PARIS 2020 takes place online this year. The Viewing Room at https://finearts-paris.com opens from 25 - 29 November 2020, with the Vernissage on 24 November.
Image: Alfred Manessier (1911 - 1993), Night, 1957. Oil on canvas, 33 x 41 cm. Collection of Galerie Laurentin Paris / Laurentin Gallery Bruxelles.