JEAN-PAUL RIOPELLE | Grey

Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York
Acquavella Galleries, New York
Private Collection, New York

Paris, Didier Imbert Fine Art, Riopelle les années soixante, 18 May - 13 July 1994; catalogue, no. 23

Yseult and Tanguy Riopelle, Jean-Paul Riopelle Catalogue Raisonné Tome 3 1960-1965, Montreal, 2014, p. 337, no. 009P, illustrated in colour

The colours are fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration. There are canvas straws to all four corners. Very close inspection under raking light reveals very thin drying cracks in places to the black paint. Further very close inspection reveals some tiny surface abrasions in located places. The work is in very good condition.
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L'un des plus célèbres représentants de la peinture abstraite de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle, Jean-Paul Riopelle ne s'est cependant jamais limité à ce médium. Tout au long de sa carrière, il a expérimenté de nombreuses techniques afin de continuellement réinventer sa pratique artistique. Le dessin et le collage lui ont notamment permis de traduire sa vision du monde et en particulier de la nature, sujet qui occupe une place centrale dans son œuvre. Ces trois grandes compositions réalisées entre 1959 et 1967 et ayant fait escale à la fameuse Galerie Pierre Matisse à New York témoignent ainsi de façon éloquente de l'extrême richesse de l'œuvre de Riopelle alors qu'il diversifie ses moyens d'expression au tournant des années soixante. One of the most famous representatives of abstract painting of the second half of the 20th century, Jean-Paul Riopelle however never limited himself to this medium. He experimented with a wide range of techniques all throughout his career to constantly renew his artistic practice. Drawing and collage especially enabled him to translate his vision of the world, and of nature in particular, a central topic in his work. These three large compositions made between 1959 and 1967 and exhibited at the famous Galerie Pierre Matisse eloquently show the huge wealth of Riopelle’s work when expanding his means of expression in the 60s.