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.
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
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
$1,960Sale 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
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
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
$10,633
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
Lotus
By Howard Hodgkin
Located in London, GB
Screenprint from 20 screens with embossing. On Velin Arches mould-made paper Based on 'Lotus', textile dyes on hand-made Indian paper, 1978 Signed and dated in pencil, lower centre. ...
Color, Screen
$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
$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
$6,112
H 28.75 in Dm 13.39 in
Close to Heart 1 & 2 - Wood sculpture by Zlata Kornilova
By Zlata Kornilova
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture Close to Heart 1 & 2 Limited edition of 12 (each sculpture) Dimensions: - Close to heart 1 (black): H. 73. x D. 34 cm - Close to heart 2 (natural): H. 82. x D. 22 cm Medi...
Steel
$950
H 22 in W 30 in
Red Composition, Abstract Geometric Etching by Jacqueline De Butler
By Jacqueline De Butler
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jacqueline De Butler, French (1928 - ) - Red Composition, Year: circa 1968, Medium: Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed and numbered in penc...
Etching, Aquatint
Royal Curtain, Gene Davis
By Gene Davis
Located in Fairfield, CT
Artist: Gene Davis (1920-1985) Title: Royal Curtain Year: 1980 Medium: Silkscreen on Arches paper Edition: 41/250, plus proofs Size: 30 x 21.5 inches Condition: Good Inscription: Sig...
Screen
$950
H 30 in W 22 in
Red, Blue & Black Composition Abstract Geometric Etching by Jacqueline De Butler
By Jacqueline De Butler
Located in Long Island City, NY
Jacqueline De Butler, French (1928 - ) - Red, Blue and Black Composition, Year: circa 1968, Medium: Etching with Aquatint on Arches, signed and ...
Etching, Aquatint
$378
H 25.6 in W 18.12 in D 0.08 in
Composition - Screen Print by Luigi Boille - 1971
By Luigi Boille
Located in Roma, IT
Composition is an original serigraph realized by the artist Luigi Boille in 1971. It is in excellent condition. signed just below the image. numbered, edition 72/78 The artwork i...
Screen
$750
H 10 in W 8 in
No. 4: Small Abstract Expressionist Monotype in Navy Blue, Soft Yellow & Green
By Jenny Nelson
Located in Hudson, NY
Small abstract expressionist style monotype in navy blue, green, light violet, and soft yellow 'Untitled 4' by Jenny Nelson Monotype, mad...
Oil, Archival Paper, Monoprint
$115,000
H 61 in W 61 in D 42 in
A Cappella - large, contemporary, abstract, bronze and steel outdoor sculpture
By David Chamberlain
Located in Bloomfield, ON
This lyrical and elegant contemporary sculpture is by David Chamberlain whose work is collected and admired around the world. Hand forged in patinated bronze and steel, the flowing c...
Bronze, Steel
Sinjerli Variation Ia
By Frank Stella
Located in New York, NY
From the artist's Sinjerli Variations series created in 1977, Frank Stella created this original print as a lithograph and screenprint in colors on Arches paper. Hand-signed in penci...
Lithograph, Screen
$3,825
H 8.4 in W 11 in
DH in Hollywood (David Hockney) Howard Hodgkin colorful abstract painting framed
By Howard Hodgkin
Located in New York, NY
Howard Hodgkin based this print on a trip he took to visit his good friend and fellow Petersburg Press collaborator David Hockney in Los Angeles. The mid-eighties saw new levels of abstraction in Hodgkin’s work, building exuberantly off the ambiguous spaces of his earlier work. The artist used six colors of paint, producing a unique depth and texture to each print in this edition. Howard Hodgkin was introduced to the etching technique used in DH in Hollywood at Petersburg Press, where he was a long-time collaborator. Soft-ground etching allowed him to work fluidly and spontaneously, giving his prints the characteristic black brushstrokes seen in this print. Paper 8.4 x 11 in. / 21.3 × 27.9 cm Soft-ground etching (from one plate) with hand coloring in watercolor (orange-red, brown, and green) and oil pastel (red and...
Oil Pastel, Watercolor, Etching
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