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Bernard Lorjou Prints and Multiples

French, 1908-1986

Bernard Lorjou was born on September 9, 1908, in Blois, France, a somber village of picturesque houses on the Loire River, 32 miles from Tours. He was the youngest of 3 children and a born painter, indulging in all the childish pranks to obtain crayons and suitable materials to satisfy his strong desire to draw and paint. In 1924, he headed to Paris, where he lived in extreme poverty in a small room on the Rue Raspail. Eventually, his funds ran out, so he started sleeping in the Orsay train station. Within a year, he found work with the silk house Ducharne. He used his income at Ducharne to finance his formal studies at the evening school in Paris. He was taught a kind of 19th-century realism, dark and painstaking. His canvases show brilliant brushwork, filled with an emotional intensity that was to typify countless canvases. At Ducharne, he designed patterns for prints that became sought by fashion houses ranging from Jacques Fath, Balmain, Lanvin and Christian Dior and worn by many notable women of the period, including Marlene Dietrich, Dolores del Rio, Jane Aubert and the Duchess of Windsor. At Ducharne, Lorjou met his wife Yvonne Mottet, also an artist. Mottet taught Lorjou conventional drawing and her influence on his work and life was profound. Her kind, gentle but direct force humanized and appeased his volcanic personality. In 1934, Lorjou and Mottet set up an art studio in Montmartre, Paris. This same studio was featured in the 1996 movie, Everyone Says I Love You. In 1939, Lorjou returned to Blois as German troops began invading France. During his short time as mayor, he recalled housing, treating, burying and feeding many of the town’s citizens. In 1942, he displayed works for the first time at the Salon des Indépendants. Three years later in 1945, Lorjou held his first solo exhibition in Paris at the Galerie du Bac. Less than a year later, the Galerie du Bac held an exhibition dedicated to the emerging style of Expressionist artists from different countries, featuring artists such as Soutine, Rouault, Goerg, Ensor, Beckmann and Lorjou. In 1948, Lorjou was named co-recipient of the coveted Prix de la Critique award with Bernard Buffet. That same year, Lorjou formed the artistic group L’Homme Témoin with the art critic Jean Bouret to defend figurative painting. The group originally comprised 5 members and shortly thereafter expanded to include other artists, including Bernard Buffet, Jean Couty, Minaux and Simone Dat. In 1950, Lorjou painted and exhibited a series of large-format paintings inspired by current events, namely, L'Age Atomique. Today it is owned by the French Government and held at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Over the next 10 years, Lorjou painted a series of widely acclaimed works now held by major museums worldwide. In 1963, Lorjou rented a barge named La Touraine to navigate up and down the Seine River in Paris for three days. There were several politically-charged monumental paintings on display, including La Mort de John XXIII, Grimau’s Blood and July 14th. Local authorities eventually stopped the barge. In 1965, Lorjou created woodblocks from his illustrations Le Bestiaire ou Cortège d'Orphée by Guillaume Apollinaire, which was published by Editions d’Auteuil and printed by Robert Blanchet in an edition of 230 copies. In 1968, his wife and companion of 40 years, Yvonne Mottet, passed away from leukemia. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Lorjou created iconic works and exhibited them throughout the globe. These included acclaimed exhibitions, such as “The Sharon Tate Assassination," “Bullfights” and “Lorjou in Private French Collections.” In 1985, The Palais de l'Europe organized a retrospective on Lorjou. The same year, Lorjou organized his last exhibit in Paris with a series of tarps around the theme of AIDS. On January 26, 1986, the last day of his AIDS exhibit, Lorjou died of an asthma attack. Posthumous exhibits were held in Venezuela and Japan.

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Artist: Bernard Lorjou
Original poster produced in 1957 by Lorjou  "les massacres de Rambouillet"
Original poster produced in 1957 by Lorjou  "les massacres de Rambouillet"

Original poster produced in 1957 by Lorjou "les massacres de Rambouillet"

By Bernard Lorjou

Located in PARIS, FR

Original poster produced in 1957 by Lorjou on the exhibition "les massacres de Rambouillet" (the Rambouillet massacres). Exhibition - Abstract Paintings and drawings in his hut on ...

Category

1950s Bernard Lorjou Prints and Multiples

Materials

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Bernard Lorjou "Pirouette au Galop" 1978 Expressionist Woodcut, Signed, H.C. Edn
Bernard Lorjou "Pirouette au Galop" 1978 Expressionist Woodcut, Signed, H.C. Edn

Bernard Lorjou "Pirouette au Galop" 1978 Expressionist Woodcut, Signed, H.C. Edn

By Bernard Lorjou

Located in Miami, FL

BERNARD LORJOU – "PIROUETTE AU GALOP" ⚜ Woodcut ⚜ Hand Signed Lower Left ⚜ Numbered H.C. from the Edition of 80 ⚜ Conservation Frame ENERGY AND DRAMA FROM “LE CIRQUE” Created in 197...

Category

1970s Expressionist Bernard Lorjou Prints and Multiples

Materials

Woodcut

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Previously Available Items
"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou
"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou

"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou

By Bernard Lorjou

Located in Encino, CA

“Le Hibou” (The Owl), a Limited Edition and Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou, is a piece for the true collector. This whimsical, abstract, realist, expressionist portrait of an owl is perfect for those who have an affinity for abstracts, birds, nature, and modern art. Depending on your choice of frame, this can be the perfect fit in a myriad of room styles, from a contemporary or modern room to a cabin retreat or eclectic-styled home. Contact us today for custom framing options to best suit this artwork to the style of your residential or commercial project. In the early years, Bernard Lorjou talked mainly of Tintoretto and El Greco, and his enthusiasm for Rembrandt developed somewhat later. He professed not to like Van Gogh, but it seems evident that Van Gogh’s late Provençal landscapes must have emboldened him in his early approach to both landscape and portraiture. Lorjou was represented in numerous exhibitions through his career as an artist – in the great salons of Paris and Musee d’ Art Moderne – and alongside some of the leading artists of the 20th Century, including Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Georges Rouault, Marc Chagall, and Raphael Soyer. Artist: BERNARD LORJOU (1908-1986) Title: LE HIBOU (THE OWL) Medium & Surface: COLOR WOODBLOCK ON AUVERGNE PAPER WITH DECKLED EDGES (unframed) Signed/Numbered: HAND SIGNED & NUMBERED IN PENCIL BY ARTIST (WITH LORJOU CUSTOM WATERMARK EMBEDDED IN PAPER) Number: 73 OF 150 Year Created: 1965 Country of Creation: FRANCE Image Area Dimensions:* 10 x 14 INCHES Paper Dimensions:* 16.875 x 22.125 INCHES *The border is not included in the image area dimensions. Frame Dimensions:** UNFRAMED **This work of art is being sold unframed. Mock frame images have been provided in the image bank to help you visualize the work after framing. Contact us for Custom Archival Framing options. Additional Info: THIS WORK HAS NEVER BEEN FRAMED, SO THERE IS NO HINGING OR OTHER REMNANTS FROM FRAMING, WHICH IS RARE TO FIND. IN 1965, LORJOU CREATED WOODBLOCKS FROM HIS ILLUSTRATIONS “LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTÈGE D'ORPHÉE” BY GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED BY EDITIONS D’AUTEUIL AND PRINTED BY ROBERT BLANCHET IN AN EDITION OF 230 COPIES. APOLLINAIRE WAS A HIGHLY ORIGINAL POET WHOSE VISUAL IMAGERY WITH SURREALIST JUXTAPOSITIONS INSPIRED MANY ARTISTS TO ILLUSTRATE HIS WORK. THE MOST POPULAR BEING ALCOOLS, FIRST PUBLISHED WITH A FRONTISPIECE BY PABLO PICASSO IN 1913. A NUMBER OF ARTISTS ILLUSTRATED HIS BESTIAIRE. IT IS A COLLECTION OF SHORT POEMS, EACH REPRESENTING THE QUALITIES OF A PARTICULAR ANIMAL. WHEN FIRST PUBLISHED, IN 1911, IT WAS ILLUSTRATED WITH WOODCUTS BY RAOUL DUFY. THE LORJOU WOODCUT FEATURED IN THIS LISTING IS ONE OF THOSE WORKS, “LE HIBOU.” IN THE PHOTO BANK, WE HAVE INCLUDED IMAGES OF HIS STUDIO WITH MANY OF THE WORKS FEATURED IN “LE BESTIAIRE,” WITH “LE HIBOU” (THE OWL) SHOWN LAYING ON THE FLOOR IN THE CENTER OF OTHER WORKS IN ONE OF THE IMAGES. A RARE PROOF OF THIS WORK IS IN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM IN LONDON, BEQUEATHED BY POET AND SCHOLAR WALTER STRACHAN. IN APOLLINAIRE’S OWN WORDS, HE DESCRIBES THE OWL: “MY POOR HEART IS AN OWL WE NAIL, WE UNCLAMP, WE RECLAIM. BLOOD, ARDOR, HE IS EXHAUSTED. ALL THOSE WHO LOVE ME, I PRAISE THEM.” Artist Info/Bio: ARTIST BIOGRAPHY DOCUMENT IS INCLUDED Documentation: CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY IS INCLUDED About the Artist: Bernard Lorjou was born on September 9, 1908 in Blois, France. He was a born painter. In 1924, he headed to Paris, where he lived in extreme poverty in a small room on the rue Raspail. Eventually, his funds ran out, so he started sleeping in the Orsay train station. Within a year, he found work with the silk house Ducharne. He used his income at Ducharne to finance his formal studies at the Evening School of the City of Paris. At Ducharne, he designed patterns for prints that became sought by fashion houses ranging from Jacques Fath, Balmain, Lanvin, and Christian Dior, and worn by many notable women of the period, including Marlene Dietrich, Dolores del Rio, Jane Aubert...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Bernard Lorjou Prints and Multiples

Materials

Woodcut

"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou
"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou

"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou

By Bernard Lorjou

Located in Encino, CA

“Le Hibou” (The Owl), a Limited Edition and Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou, is a piece for the true collector. This whimsical, abstract, realist, expressionist portrait of an owl is perfect for those who have an affinity for abstracts, birds, nature, and modern art. Depending on your choice of frame, this can be the perfect fit in a myriad of room styles, from a contemporary or modern room to a cabin retreat or eclectic-styled home. Contact us today for custom framing options to best suit this artwork to the style of your residential or commercial project. In the early years, Bernard Lorjou talked mainly of Tintoretto and El Greco, and his enthusiasm for Rembrandt developed somewhat later. He professed not to like Van Gogh, but it seems evident that Van Gogh’s late Provençal landscapes must have emboldened him in his early approach to both landscape and portraiture. Lorjou was represented in numerous exhibitions through his career as an artist – in the great salons of Paris and Musee d’ Art Moderne – and alongside some of the leading artists of the 20th Century, including Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Georges Rouault, Marc Chagall, and Raphael Soyer. Artist: BERNARD LORJOU (1908-1986) Title: LE HIBOU (THE OWL) Medium & Surface: COLOR WOODBLOCK ON AUVERGNE PAPER WITH DECKLED EDGES (unframed) Signed/Numbered: HAND SIGNED & NUMBERED IN PENCIL BY ARTIST (WITH LORJOU CUSTOM WATERMARK EMBEDDED IN PAPER) Number: 70 OF 150 Year Created: 1965 Country of Creation: FRANCE Image Area Dimensions:* 10 x 14 INCHES *The border is not included in the image area dimensions. Frame Dimensions:** UNFRAMED **This work of art is being sold unframed. Mock frame images have been provided in the image bank to help you visualize the work after framing. Contact us for Custom Archival Framing options. Additional Info: THIS WORK HAS NEVER BEEN FRAMED, SO THERE IS NO HINGING OR OTHER REMNANTS FROM FRAMING, WHICH IS RARE TO FIND. IN 1965, LORJOU CREATED WOODBLOCKS FROM HIS ILLUSTRATIONS “LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTÈGE D'ORPHÉE” BY GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED BY EDITIONS D’AUTEUIL AND PRINTED BY ROBERT BLANCHET IN AN EDITION OF 230 COPIES. APOLLINAIRE WAS A HIGHLY ORIGINAL POET WHOSE VISUAL IMAGERY WITH SURREALIST JUXTAPOSITIONS INSPIRED MANY ARTISTS TO ILLUSTRATE HIS WORK. THE MOST POPULAR BEING ALCOOLS, FIRST PUBLISHED WITH A FRONTISPIECE BY PABLO PICASSO IN 1913. A NUMBER OF ARTISTS ILLUSTRATED HIS BESTIAIRE. IT IS A COLLECTION OF SHORT POEMS, EACH REPRESENTING THE QUALITIES OF A PARTICULAR ANIMAL. WHEN FIRST PUBLISHED, IN 1911, IT WAS ILLUSTRATED WITH WOODCUTS BY RAOUL DUFY. THE LORJOU WOODCUT FEATURED IN THIS LISTING IS ONE OF THOSE WORKS, “LE HIBOU.” IN THE PHOTO BANK, WE HAVE INCLUDED IMAGES OF HIS STUDIO WITH MANY OF THE WORKS FEATURED IN “LE BESTIAIRE,” WITH “LE HIBOU” (THE OWL) SHOWN LAYING ON THE FLOOR IN THE CENTER OF OTHER WORKS IN ONE OF THE IMAGES. A RARE PROOF OF THIS WORK IS IN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM IN LONDON, BEQUEATHED BY POET AND SCHOLAR WALTER STRACHAN. IN APOLLINAIRE’S OWN WORDS, HE DESCRIBES THE OWL: “MY POOR HEART IS AN OWL WE NAIL, WE UNCLAMP, WE RECLAIM. BLOOD, ARDOR, HE IS EXHAUSTED. ALL THOSE WHO LOVE ME, I PRAISE THEM.” Artist Info/Bio: ARTIST BIOGRAPHY DOCUMENT IS INCLUDED Documentation: CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY IS INCLUDED About the Artist: Bernard Lorjou was born on September 9, 1908 in Blois, France. He was a born painter. In 1924, he headed to Paris, where he lived in extreme poverty in a small room on the rue Raspail. Eventually, his funds ran out, so he started sleeping in the Orsay train station. Within a year, he found work with the silk house Ducharne. He used his income at Ducharne to finance his formal studies at the Evening School of the City of Paris. At Ducharne, he designed patterns for prints that became sought by fashion houses ranging from Jacques Fath, Balmain, Lanvin, and Christian Dior, and worn by many notable women of the period, including Marlene Dietrich, Dolores del Rio, Jane Aubert...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Bernard Lorjou Prints and Multiples

Materials

Woodcut

"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou
"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou

"Le Hibou" (The Owl) Limited Edition Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou

By Bernard Lorjou

Located in Encino, CA

“Le Hibou” (The Owl), a Limited Edition and Hand-Signed Woodblock by Bernard Lorjou, is a piece for the true collector. This whimsical, abstract, realist, expressionist portrait of an owl is perfect for those who have an affinity for abstracts, birds, nature, and modern art. Depending on your choice of frame, this can be the perfect fit in a myriad of room styles, from a contemporary or modern room to a cabin retreat or eclectic-styled home. Contact us today for custom framing options to best suit this artwork to the style of your residential or commercial project. In the early years, Bernard Lorjou talked mainly of Tintoretto and El Greco, and his enthusiasm for Rembrandt developed somewhat later. He professed not to like Van Gogh, but it seems evident that Van Gogh’s late Provençal landscapes must have emboldened him in his early approach to both landscape and portraiture. Lorjou was represented in numerous exhibitions through his career as an artist – in the great salons of Paris and Musee d’ Art Moderne – and alongside some of the leading artists of the 20th Century, including Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Georges Rouault, Marc Chagall, and Raphael Soyer. Artist: BERNARD LORJOU (1908-1986) Title: LE HIBOU (THE OWL) Medium & Surface: COLOR WOODBLOCK ON AUVERGNE PAPER WITH DECKLED EDGES (unframed) Signed/Numbered: HAND SIGNED & NUMBERED IN PENCIL BY ARTIST (WITH LORJOU CUSTOM WATERMARK EMBEDDED IN PAPER) Number: 70 OF 150 Year Created: 1965 Country of Creation: FRANCE Image Area Dimensions:* 10 x 14 INCHES *The border is not included in the image area dimensions. Frame Dimensions:** UNFRAMED **This work of art is being sold unframed. Mock frame images have been provided in the image bank to help you visualize the work after framing. Contact us for Custom Archival Framing options. Additional Info: THIS WORK HAS NEVER BEEN FRAMED, SO THERE IS NO HINGING OR OTHER REMNANTS FROM FRAMING, WHICH IS RARE TO FIND. IN 1965, LORJOU CREATED WOODBLOCKS FROM HIS ILLUSTRATIONS “LE BESTIAIRE OU CORTÈGE D'ORPHÉE” BY GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE, WHICH WAS PUBLISHED BY EDITIONS D’AUTEUIL AND PRINTED BY ROBERT BLANCHET IN AN EDITION OF 230 COPIES. APOLLINAIRE WAS A HIGHLY ORIGINAL POET WHOSE VISUAL IMAGERY WITH SURREALIST JUXTAPOSITIONS INSPIRED MANY ARTISTS TO ILLUSTRATE HIS WORK. THE MOST POPULAR BEING ALCOOLS, FIRST PUBLISHED WITH A FRONTISPIECE BY PABLO PICASSO IN 1913. A NUMBER OF ARTISTS ILLUSTRATED HIS BESTIAIRE. IT IS A COLLECTION OF SHORT POEMS, EACH REPRESENTING THE QUALITIES OF A PARTICULAR ANIMAL. WHEN FIRST PUBLISHED, IN 1911, IT WAS ILLUSTRATED WITH WOODCUTS BY RAOUL DUFY. THE LORJOU WOODCUT FEATURED IN THIS LISTING IS ONE OF THOSE WORKS, “LE HIBOU.” IN THE PHOTO BANK, WE HAVE INCLUDED IMAGES OF HIS STUDIO WITH MANY OF THE WORKS FEATURED IN “LE BESTIAIRE,” WITH “LE HIBOU” (THE OWL) SHOWN LAYING ON THE FLOOR IN THE CENTER OF OTHER WORKS IN ONE OF THE IMAGES. A RARE PROOF OF THIS WORK IS IN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM IN LONDON, BEQUEATHED BY POET AND SCHOLAR WALTER STRACHAN. IN APOLLINAIRE’S OWN WORDS, HE DESCRIBES THE OWL: “MY POOR HEART IS AN OWL WE NAIL, WE UNCLAMP, WE RECLAIM. BLOOD, ARDOR, HE IS EXHAUSTED. ALL THOSE WHO LOVE ME, I PRAISE THEM.” Artist Info/Bio: ARTIST BIOGRAPHY DOCUMENT IS INCLUDED Documentation: CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY IS INCLUDED About the Artist: Bernard Lorjou was born on September 9, 1908 in Blois, France. He was a born painter. In 1924, he headed to Paris, where he lived in extreme poverty in a small room on the rue Raspail. Eventually, his funds ran out, so he started sleeping in the Orsay train station. Within a year, he found work with the silk house Ducharne. He used his income at Ducharne to finance his formal studies at the Evening School of the City of Paris. At Ducharne, he designed patterns for prints that became sought by fashion houses ranging from Jacques Fath, Balmain, Lanvin, and Christian Dior, and worn by many notable women of the period, including Marlene Dietrich, Dolores del Rio, Jane Aubert...

Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Bernard Lorjou Prints and Multiples

Materials

Woodcut

Bernard Lorjou prints and multiples for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Bernard Lorjou prints and multiples available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Bernard Lorjou in lithograph, paper and more. Not every interior allows for large Bernard Lorjou prints and multiples, so small editions measuring 18 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Camille Bryen, Maurice Brianchon, and Robert Bonfils. Bernard Lorjou prints and multiples prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $250 and tops out at $501, while the average work can sell for $375.