THE POWER OF FRENCH CONTEMPORARY PAINTING – New beginnings Part 2

Dear Painting Lovers turns out the Internet was too small for all the greatness, so we post the article in two parts. Please find here the second part of our great article about Contemporary French Painting!

As a French painter myself, I’ve wanted to tell you more about the scene for YEARS. Many are missing – Lévy-Lasne’s conference included about 120 artists – so a tough selection was made. In this article, I will introduce a panorama of the scene from my humble position without elaborating on each painter. Please check websites and links for more information.

French Painting is still mostly associated with modernism – or even impressionism. And indeed, when New York replaced Paris as the Capital of Contemporary Art after WWII, the painting scene started to seriously wilt – excepting lyrical abstraction that I am willingly setting aside.
In the ’80s, few were still talking about painting in France anymore. The Art Schools (Écoles des Beaux-Arts) in the ’90s and 00’s only taught seriously drawing and painting for one miserable year. Even when the students were interested, the teachers regularly pushed them over to other media. This is my experience, but also one of many colleagues I’ve encountered over the years. The Beaux-Arts de Paris kept some painting and drawing classes accessible, but they were clearly not the stars of the school.

But, surprisingly, painting survived and is now burgeoning with strength. As if this time of latency had prepared for a new beginning. Read Part 1 HERE

 

Michel Castaignet

Michel Castaignet, Der Schlachtplan, acrylic on canvas, 220 x 180 cm, courtesy of the artist

Michel Castaignet, Sonnenbaden, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 180 cm, 2018, courtesy of the artist

Next shows: until the 12th of March 2019, Frauwelt, Gallery Maksla XO, Riga 

Link: castaignet.apps-1and1.net

Emmanuelle Castellan

Emmanuelle Castellan, big sketch for rainbow’s spectacle, oil on canvas, 220 x 180 cm, 2018, courtesy of the artist

Emmanuelle Castellan, elastic boards, oil on canvas, cuts, 92 x 62 cm, 2017, courtesy of the artist

  emmanuellecastellan.net

Hervé Ic

Hervé Ic, Dormeur, FXL, 33 x 41 cm, 2015    

Hervé Ic, La Leçon de Coiffure, 33 x 41 cm, 2018

Next shows:

22.03 2019, Le Comble Éditeur Portrait de Dos, Virton, Belgium

www.instagram.com/l_approche

Link www.herveic.com

Fleur Helluin

Fleur ‚Helluin, Marianne, oil on canvas, 125 x 140 cm, 2017, courtesy of the artist

Fleur Helluin, Sink Symphonie, 63 x 96 cm, 2017, courtesy of the artist

Next show:

14.09 – 27.09 2019, Galerie AKA, Berlin 

Link www.fleurhelluin.com

 

Nathanaëlle Herbelin

Nathanaëlle Herbelin, Autoportrait, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 cm, 2018, courtesy of the artist    

Nathanaëlle Herbelin, The Shower, oil on canvas, 100 x 65 cm, 2018, courtesy of the artist

Next show:

until the 20.04 2019, Betonsalon, Paris 

Link www.nathanaelleherbelin.com

Claire Tabouret

Claire Tabouret, From the Blue Sun, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 91 x 3,5 cm, 2018 © Marten Elder

Claire Tabouret, The Swimmer, acrylic on canvas, 130 x 90,5 x 4 cm, 2019 © Marten Elder

Next show:

27.04 – 08.09 2019, Eldorama. Lille 3000, Claire TABOURET, Ryan MCGINLEY, group show, Tripostal – Lille, France

Link www.clairetabouret.com

Louisa Gagliardi

Louisa Gagliardi, Slow Motion Scheming,114.8 x 164.8 cm, Nail polish, Gel medium, Ink on PVC, 114.8 x 164.8 cm, 2017, Photography: Damian Griffiths, all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias, London

Louisa Gagliardi, Tense Shift, Ink on PVC, 114.8 x 164.8 cm, 2017, Photography: Damian Griffiths, all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Pilar Corrias, London

Next show:

16.03 – 04.05 2019, Side Effects of Satisfaction, Rodolphe Janssen

Gallery, Brussels
Link louisagagliardi.com

Julie Tuyet Curtiss

Julie Tuyet Curtiss, Comb Through, Acrylic, vinyl and oil on canvas, 76 x 76 cm, 2019, photo: courtesy of the artist and Anton Kern Gallery

Julie Tuyet Curtiss, Piece of Cake, Acrylic, vinyl and oil paint on canvas, 101.6 x 81.3 cm, 2019, photo: courtesy of the artist and Anton Kern Gallery

Next show:

25.04 – 15.06 2019, Wildlife, Anton Kern Gallery, New York 

Link www.juliecurtiss.com

to be continued …

Part 3 is coming next week. Watch the conference  ‘Vitalité de la Peinture Contemporaine’