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Guy Bourdin
Surrealist Carom Billards large and bold abstracted mid century modern games oil

ca 1955

$3,400
£2,563.61
€2,954.21
CA$4,716.72
A$5,285.06
CHF 2,751.07
MX$64,654.56
NOK 34,919.79
SEK 32,981.33
DKK 22,053.77
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About the Item

If Carom Billards is your game, this is the ultimate painting for you. If it is not, you will simply marvel at the artist's playfulness, adventurousness and style. Large and bold, the artwork includes a Margritte-esque surrealist figure with a bowler hat, grattage - note the intricate herringbone structure of the background - and sculptural fissure of the red ball to represent the end grain. The result is breathtaking. If you want a focal point for a room, this one is for you. Guy Bourdin, the ground breaking fashion and advertising photographer, specialised in fascinating narratives, dramatic effects with intense color saturation, hyper-realism and cropped compositions. He often incorporated fantastical elements, vivid colors, and bold compositions into his images, creating a captivating, dreamlike atmosphere Bourdin's style was influenced by his background in surrealism and painting, of which I am proud to present this exceptional example. Bourdin started painting and photography in the 1940s, and in 1950 sought out the mentorship of American expatriate and prodigious Surrealist Man Ray. Bourdin was turned away from Man Ray's door six times by his wife and on the seventh finally succeeding in gaining the artist's company when Man Ray himself answered the door and invited Bourdin in. Bourdin succeeded in gaining the confidence of Man Ray, who later wrote the catalogue for Bourdin's first exhibition in 1952 after accepting him as a protégé. Bourdin made his first exhibition of drawings and paintings at Galerie, Rue de la Bourgogne, Paris. His first photographic exhibition was in 1953. His first fashion shots were published in the February 1955 issue of Vogue Paris. As a contemporary of Helmut Newton, who also worked extensively for Vogue. Bourdin's work has been exhibited in the most prestigious museums, such as The Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Modern, The Jeu de Paume, The Getty Museum, The National Art Museum of China, The Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and The Moscow House of Photography. His oeuvres is part of the collection of many prestigious institutions such as the MoMA in New York, The Getty Museum in Los Angeles, SFMOMA in San Francisco and the collection of the V&A among others. Our painting is unsigned and belonged to Bourdin's father. Before it came into my possession, it was in the attic of the the Bourdin family home in Normandy. Its authenticity is guaranteed unconditionally and a COA will be issued by our gallery. As the picture is large in size, it is offered unframed to facilitate shipping, but framing options are available.
  • Creator:
    Guy Bourdin (1928 - 1991, French)
  • Creation Year:
    ca 1955
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 39.38 in (100 cm)Width: 31.89 in (81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Framing:
    Framing Options Available
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Norwich, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU991313135712

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