Femme Alongée (Le Divan), 1972

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Jean-Pierre Cassigneul
Femme Alongée (Le Divan), 1972
1972

About the Item

Jean-Pierre Cassigneul is arguably France’s most popular and revered contemporary figurative painter. Since his birth, the artist has been immersed in the world of feminine beauty and haute couture through his family’s connection with the fashion house Jean Dessès, as well as heir to the long and rich French art historical tradition of depicting the female form. Jean-Pierre Cassignuel was born in Paris in 1935. His grandfather was the founder of the ground-breaking French fashion house Jean Dessès, and his father was director of the firm at the time of his son’s birth. Jean-Pierre was raised among the glamour and excitement of the post-war Parisian fashion world, where he was exposed to the designers, dressmakers, and models. During this time, Cassigneul sketched and drew from both nature and his imagination. When he crossed the Swiss border to join his grandparents in early 1944, the customs officers refused to believe that he could be the author of the two small paintings representing the church tower of Megève in France. In 1952, he was approached by Parisian gallerist Lucy Krogh to exhibit his work at her avant-garde gallery, Galerie Lucy Krogh. Two years later, Cassigneul abandoned his medical studies and formally began studying art by enrolling in the Académie Charpentier as well as studying under the French Nabis artist Jean Souverbie. Shortly thereafter, he was admitted to the École des Beaux-arts de Paris in 1955. From 1956 until 1960, Cassigneul was instructed by the French painter Roger Chapelain-Midy, from whom he was exposed to the work of the Dutch expressionist painter Kees van Dongen, whose emphasis on heightened and fantastic color influenced Cassigneul. In 1958, the artist had his first exhibition at the Galerie des Beaux-Arts and a year later he was appointed a member of the Salon d’Automne, where he became an important exhibitor. During the early period of his career, Cassigneul participated in exhibitions in Paris and other cities throughout France, including in 1963, at the Salon de la Jeune Peinture, where he met the Japanese collector and gallerist Kiyoshi Tamenaga, who would become an important representative of the artist in Japan and Paris. Cassigneul’s career continued to expand and flourish throughout the 1970s and the 1980s, with major exhibitions in Paris, New York, and Tokyo. In spring of 1990, a major exhibition of sixty paintings occurred in four cities in Japan attracting over 150,000 visitors. That same year, Cassigneul was the most successful artist exhibiting at the International Show of Contemporary Art in Paris (FIAC). In 2005, an exhibition was held in seven major Japanese cities to celebrate fifty years of the artist’s work. In addition to color, the motif of the mysterious woman is central to the work and fame of Cassigneul. Four primary typologies exist: young girls from the mid-sixties based on models who had peopled his life; elegant society women from Jean Dessès’ fashion house; portraits inspired by his imagination; and melancholy portraits of women who allude to the passage of time and beauty. The vertical perspective is another familiar theme in Cassigneul’s work that is shown with the representation of the women as well as their surroundings. The alternating patches of light and shade between tall trees create a magical kaleidoscope of blues, greens and ochres, occasionally punctuated by a dab of red. Although his paintings are ingrained in his contemporary world, they are all the while relatable and timeless. He explains, “I have learned to look at the world around me, for that is the true answer to becoming a painter.” The artist notes, “despite all my exhibitions and despite the scores of paintings and lithographs I have produced over the years, I still feel that I am on the threshold of my life and that all lies ahead of me.”

Creator:
Jean-Pierre Cassigneul (1935, French)
Creation Year:
1972
Dimensions:
Height: 37 in (93.98 cm)Width: 44 in (111.76 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
Fauvist
Period:
1960-1969
Condition:
Gallery Location:
Washington, DC
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2220211398512