Self-taught French artist Francois Morellet was a man ahead of his time. Because he was quietly working away in his hometown, his abstract paintings, prints, sculptures and installations didn't garner much attention until later in his life. But once they did, Morellet's use of geometry, neon lighting and kinetic potential was on trend with the day’s contemporary art sensibilities and his work would be associated with Conceptualism as well as Op art, which saw artists producing intense visual experiences by drawing on and evolving methods developed by movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Impressionism.
Morellet was born in Cholet, France, which he called home for his entire life. While he left briefly to study literature in Paris, he returned to head his family's toy factory. Running a successful business gave Morellet the time and opportunity to focus on his art.
He began creating figurative paintings in the 1940s but pivoted to abstraction in the 1950s. His inspiration included the work of architect and designer Max Bill, which he encountered on a trip to Brazil, and the decorative Islamic art he saw in Alhambra, Spain.
In the early 1960s, Morellet became a founding member of the collaborative artists collective Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV). The experimental group created dynamic art that required the viewer's active engagement. In 1964, GRAV exhibited at Documenta in Kassel, Germany, where Morellet went on to appear twice as a solo artist.
Morellet had his first showing to American audiences in 1965 at the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, followed by an exhibition at the Venice Biennale in 1970. He exhibited around the world for the rest of his career, always returning to Cholet.
In 1991, as part of a collection for Tecno curated by Valeria Borsani in part to pay tribute to her father, celebrated iconic designer and Tecno founder Osvaldo Borsani, Morellet collaborated with his eldest son, Frédéric, to create the brand’s Détabilisation tables. These sculptural minimalist furnishings are made of glass, painted cast aluminum and satin-finished stainless steel and look as though they’re going to collapse at any moment.
A prolific artist throughout his life, Morellet celebrated his 90th birthday on April 30, 2016, by launching a string of shows in London and Brazil. While planning those exhibitions, he told Wallpaper magazine: "I often said that in the past, I considered that my work was widely underestimated and that today it is probably overestimated."
Morellet passed away in May of that year, doing what he loved. Today, his work is held in the collections at the Centre Pompidou, the Museum of Modern Art, the Seoul Museum of Art, the Kunsthaus Zurich and many more prestigious institutions.
On 1stDibs, find Francois Morellet prints, paintings, mixed media and more.
$10,316
François Morellet, Trames: Portfolio of 8 Signed Screenprints, Abstract Art
By Francois Morellet
Located in Hamburg, DE
François Morellet (French, 1926-2016) Trames Portfolio, 1965 Medium: 8 screenprints on cardboard Dimensions: 62 × 62 cm (24 2/5 × 24 2/5 in) Edition of 125: Each serigraph hand signe...
Screen
François Morellet, Untitled - 1972, Signed Print, Geometric Abstraction, Op Art
By Francois Morellet
Located in Hamburg, DE
François Morellet (French, 1926-2016) Untitled (from 6. Kölner Kunstmarkt 72), 1972 Medium: Screenprint on paper Edition of 180: Hand-signed Dimensions: 45 x 65 cm Condition: Excellent
Screen
Almir Mavignier Poster for Morellet/Adrian Show at Studio F
By Almir da Silva Mavingier, Francois Morellet, Studio F
Located in New York, NY
Silkscreened poster for a show of work by avant-garde artists Francois Morellet and Marc Adrian, held at Mark Fried’s Studio f in Ulm in April, 1961. Poster design by Brazilian/Germ...
Metal
Op Art : Geometrical Abstraction - Original etching with aquatint
By Francois Morellet
Located in Paris, IDF
François MORELLET Op Art : Geometrical Abstraction Original etching with aquatint Unsigned as issued On vellum 46 x 46 cm (c. 18 x 18 in) Authenticated with the Chalcographie du Louvre...
Etching, Aquatint
$1,500Sale Price|25% Off
François Morellet Signed Limited Edition Silkscreen Print Chartres Vert Orange
By Francois Morellet
Located in Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
François Morellet – Chartres – vert orange, 1973 This original signed and numbered limited edition silkscreen print by François Morellet (1926–2016) was created in 1973 and printed ...
PVC, Paint, Paper
$1,960Sale Price|20% Off
Geometric Abstract Screenprint from 9x5 Konkret Portfolio by Francois Morellet
By Francois Morellet
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Francois Morellet, French (1926 - 2016) Title: untitled from 9x5 Konkret Portfolio Year: 1973 Medium: Screenprint on PVC foil, signed and numbered in pencil Edition: 25/200 S...
PVC, Screen
$2,800Sale Price|20% Off
François Morellet 40, 000 Carres
By Francois Morellet
Located in Chicago, IL
François Morellet 40,000 Carres, Screenprint in two colors. Signed and numbered to lower edges ‘282/300 Morellet’. This work is number 282 from the edition of 300 published by Éditio...
Paper
Sphère tram by François Morellet
By Francois Morellet
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
François Charles Alexis Albert Morellet naît à Cholet[1] où son grand-père maternel, Alexis Guérineau[2], fondateur d'une société de jouets et voitures d'enfants, a été maire de 1919...
Metal
Screenprint of 50% Green & 50% Orange Squares by François Morellet, 1971
By Francois Morellet
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
François Morellet’s *Répartition aléatoire de 40000 carrés selon les chiffres pairs et impairs d’un annuaire de téléphone* (1971) is an 80 x 80 cm screenprint featuring a vibrant com...
Paper
Screenprint of 50% Blue & 50% Black Squares by François Morellet, 1971
By Francois Morellet
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
François Morellet’s *Répartition aléatoire de 40000 carrés selon les chiffres pairs et impairs d’un annuaire de téléphone* (1971) is an 80 x 80 cm screenprint that masterfully combin...
Paper
Francois Morellet, Zwei Interferenz Schnitte, minimal sculpture, signed & dated
By Francois Morellet
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
Stunning and rare work by one of the leading artists of the 20th century. This work is only produced in a limited edition of 30, each signed by Morellet. Two other examples of this ...
Wood
Sphère-Trame Abstract Sculpture, Welded Steel, 1962, Edition of 100
By Francois Morellet
Located in Aventura, FL
Sphère-trame, 1962. Welded steel rods, stainless steel. 13.75 inches diameter. This work is from an edition of 100 (the edition was not fully executed). Artwork is in excellent condi...
Steel
Screenprint of 50% Yellow & 50% White Squares by François Morellet, 1971
By Francois Morellet
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
François Morellet’s *Répartition aléatoire de 40000 carrés selon les chiffres pairs et impairs d’un annuaire de téléphone* (1971) is an 80 x 80 cm screenprint featuring a striking in...
Paper
Untitled
By Francois Morellet
Located in London, GB
François Morellet Untitled , 1955-1975 Signed and dated in the lower right corner Screenprint 69.0 x 69.0 cm François Morellet embraced impersonal, geometric forms and a sense of de...
Screen
Untitled
By Francois Morellet
Located in London, GB
François Morellet Untitled , 1970's-1990's Signed and dated bottom right hand corner of each work Full Set of 4 ScreenPrints 80.0 x 80.0 cm Share François Morellet embraced imperso...
Screen
$2,495
H 21.25 in W 31.5 in D 1 in
Clifton Karhu Signed Limited Edition Japanese Woodblock Print "Kamigano"
By Clifton Karhu
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautiful, large woodblock print by American master printmaker Clifton Karhu who lived in Japan for over 50 years. Karhu's work gained great e...
Paper
$2,250
H 29.5 in W 38.75 in
Howard Hodgkin hand-colored Early Evening in the Museum of Modern Art
By Howard Hodgkin
Located in New York, NY
Large scale black and white abstract interior scene with dots, lines, brushstrokes, and hand painting in grey, to hang in contemporary, modern and minimalist spaces. While British pop artists such as David Hockney and Patrick Caulfield numbered amongst Howard Hodgkin's circle of friends, Hodgkin's work is painterly, emotional, expressionist, and abstract. Early Evening in the Museum of Modern Art, by Howard Hodgkin. Signed by the artist, numbered, and dated 79 lower center in red crayon. Soft-ground etching printed from the same plate as 'Late Afternoon in the Museum of Modern Art', with hand coloring in black gouache on Grey BFK Rives mould-made paper. This print depicts an abstracted scene, perhaps a sculpture in front of a window in the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, in Hodgkin's signature painterly style. The expressive mark-making in this print is an example of the artist’s movement in the late 70s towards pronounced gestures. Wide areas of deep black pigment contrast urgent swipes of ink. Always seeking greater richness in his prints, Hodgkin layered ink and hand coloring in this print, rendering each impression in the edition unique. Part of a series of four prints reflecting on a visit to...
Gouache, Etching
Generations 8
By Robyn Denny
Located in London, GB
Etching with aquatint on watercolour wash on paper 53 x 71 cms (21 x 28 ins) Edition of 35, Set of 24 Signed, dated, and numbered 3/35 Published by Bernard Jacobson Ltd., London Prin...
Color, Etching, Aquatint
K. Trumpf, Limited Edition Signed Print Titled Levade
Located in Bridgeport, CT
Print With Lippezaner Horses And Riders In Vienna Titled "Levade" lower left. Pencil signed lower right, numbered 175/299 lower left. Finely framed in gilt wood. sight 17 x 22 3/4", ...
Paper, Glass, Wood
$3,000
H 17.07 in W 17 in
Variant I /// Josef Albers Abstract Geometric Screenprint Minimalism Bauhaus Art
By Josef Albers
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Josef Albers (German-American, 1888-1976) Title: "Variant I" Portfolio: Ten Variants *Unsigned edition Year: 1967 Medium: Original Screenprint on Rives BFK paper Limited edit...
Screen
$4,731
H 39.38 in W 27.96 in D 0.04 in
Original Vintage Australian Airline Travel Poster for Qantas - At Your Command!
By Mandson
Located in London, GB
Original vintage travel advertising poster for Qantas super service at your command! Australia's international airline Qantas Empire Airways Ltd in association with British Overseas Airways Corporation BOAC and Tasman Empire Airways Ltd. Great mid century illustration featuring a smartly dressed smiling lady walking past a line of Qantas cabin crew wearing blue uniform with suitcases bearing luggage labels on the side, a man in a brown suit and hat following her and more passengers disembarking a Qantas Lockheed Constellation plane with an Australian flag...
Paper
$22,000
H 21.69 in W 21.69 in
EK Ib /// Josef Albers Orange Screenprint Homage to the Square Abstract Bauhaus
By Josef Albers
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Josef Albers (German-American, 1888-1976) Title: "EK Ib" Portfolio: Homage to the Square: Edition Keller Ia-Ik *Monogram signed and dated by Albers in pencil lower right Year...
Screen
$325
H 24 in W 24 in D 1.5 in
Outgoing Tide, Signed Contemporary Neutral Minimalist Abstract Digital Painting
Located in Boston, MA
Outgoing Tide, Signed Contemporary Neutral Abstract Digital Painting 24" x 24" x 1.5" (HxWxD) Archival Print on Canvas Hand-signed by the artist in verso. This square format digital...
Canvas, Digital, Archival Pigment
$1,800
H 32.25 in W 41 in
Artist and Model Howard Hodgkin abstracted orange and black watercolor gouache
By Howard Hodgkin
Located in New York, NY
Large black and marigold orange abstract interior scene of a bust in front of a window with fingerprints and painterly brushstrokes. Rich color and texture ideal for hanging in minim...
Watercolor, Gouache, Etching
$28,000
H 31.19 in W 28.19 in
Red Meander I /// Anni Albers Bauhaus Abstract Geometric Female Artist Screen
By Anni Albers
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Anni Albers (German-American, 1899-1994) Title: "Red Meander I" Portfolio: Meander *Signed and dated by Albers in pencil lower right Year: 1969-1970 Medium: Original Screenpr...
Screen
$22,000
H 32.25 in W 28.19 in
Orange Meander /// Anni Albers Bauhaus Abstract Geometric Female Artist Screen
By Anni Albers
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Anni Albers (German-American, 1899-1994) Title: "Orange Meander" Portfolio: Meander *Signed and dated by Albers in pencil lower right Year: 1970 Medium: Original Screenprint ...
Screen
$550 / item
H 18.9 in W 15.36 in D 0.04 in
DESENHO – Silkscreen Print, Limited Edition by Álvaro Siza Vieira
By Alvaro Siza
Located in Lisboa, Lisboa
Desenho (Man Painting) - The painting shows someone who begins a drawing, looking on the paper with a pen in the hand. Álvaro Siza describes the very special moment of taking the decision to make a painting, facing the white paper. A reproduction of his situation, doing this series of paintings: not knowing what to do until the decision to draw was being made. Then the idea of mythology came to his mind. “It is, in some way, an expression of my personal moment making drawings. But it is not a self-portrait, I am quite different than this man. It is not a specific person on purpose, because everyone makes drawings. Maybe not everyone does it, but everyone could do it.” Álvaro Siza started drawing at the age of six. With a great variety of drawings on his portfolio, many of them are inspired by mythology and historic scenes. “The drawings are what came to my mind in this very moment. I like mythology and expressing the stories in images. I have made a lot of mythological drawing...
Paper
Sold
H 18.12 in W 18.12 in
Op Art : Geometrical Abstraction - Original etching with aquatint
By Francois Morellet
Located in Paris, IDF
François MORELLET Op Art : Geometrical Abstraction Original etching with aquatint Unsigned as issued On vellum 46 x 46 cm (c. 18 x 18 in) Authenticated with the Chalcographie du Lo...
Etching, Aquatint
Sold
H 14.38 in W 14.38 in D 0.08 in
Intersecting Lines - Plate 4 - Original Screen Print by François Morellet - 1975
By Francois Morellet
Located in Roma, IT
Intersecting Lines - Plate 4 is an original artwork realized by François Morellet in 1975. Black and white serighraph. Hand-signed by the artist on the back of the artwork. Numberd...
Screen
Sold
H 14.38 in W 14.38 in D 0.08 in
Intersecting Lines - Plate 3 - Screen Print by François Morellet - 1975
By Francois Morellet
Located in Roma, IT
Intersecting Lines - Plate 3 is an original artwork realized by François Morellet in 1975. Black and white screen print. Hand-signed by the artist on the back of the artwork. Numbe...
Screen
Sold
H 14.38 in W 14.38 in D 0.08 in
Intersecting Lines - Plate 2 - Original Screen Print by François Morellet - 1975
By Francois Morellet
Located in Roma, IT
Intersecting Lines - Plate 2 is an original artwork realized by François Morellet in 1975. Black and white serighraph. Hand-signed by the artist on the back of the artwork. Numberd...
Screen
Sold
H 14.38 in W 14.38 in D 0.08 in
Intersecting Lines - Plate 1 - Original Screen Print by François Morellet - 1975
By Francois Morellet
Located in Roma, IT
Intersecting Lines - Plate 1 is an original artwork realized by François Morellet in 1975. Black and white serighraph. Hand-signed by the artist on the back of the artwork. Numberd...
Screen
Sold
H 40 in W 40 in D 1 in
Framed Screenprint Lithograph Signed Numbered by Francois Morellet 40, 000 Canes
By Francois Morellet
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is a funky, framed piece of orange and green pop art, signed and numbered by Francois Morellet, 132/300. In excellent condition. The dimensions are 40" Sq.
Mid-Century Modern Francois Morellet Sphere Table Sculpture, 1960s, Paris
By Francois Morellet
Located in Keego Harbor, MI
For your consideration is an incredible sphere table sculpture, on a clear Lucite stand, by François Morellet. Parisian sculpter and painter from the 1960s. François Morellet born 1926 Paris, died...
François Morellet Sphère Trame, Spherical Framework
By Francois Morellet
Located in Munster, NRW
Franc¸ois Morellet (1926-2016) "Sphe`re-trame" 1962 steel sculpture Provenance: Galerie Denise Rene´ Paris, France. Measures: Height 44 cm, diameter 44 cm There are two loose Connec...
Stainless Steel
François Morellet Circular Steel Sculpture, "Sphère-Trame"
By Francois Morellet
Located in Paris, FR
François Morellet (b. 1926) "Sphère-trame" 1962 Steel sculpture Provenance : Galerie Denise René, Paris, France Height : 13.7 in./35 cm, Diameter : 13.7 in./35 cm
Steel