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
$10,501
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
$840Sale Price|43% Off
H 24.2 in W 23.8 in D 1 in
Concrete Geometric Abstract Composition with Blue (~44% OFF LIST PRICE)
By Gottfried Honegger
Located in Kansas City, MO
Gottfried Honegger Concrete Geometric Abstract Composition with Blue 3D-construction, Screenprint on Hahnemuhle Velvet 2015 Size: 20.9 × 21.1 on 24.2 × 23.8 inches Edition: E.A. of 5...
Archival Paper, Screen
$1,028
H 31.5 in W 25.99 in
Doughlah G.E.P., 1968-71 - Contemporary Art, Abstract Art
By Frank Bowling
Located in London, GB
Title: Doughlah G.E.P., 1968-71 Year made: 2023 Material: Giclée print on 330gsm Somerset Velvet cotton rag paper with an embossed publisher stamp Edition of 250 It comes with COA f...
Giclée
$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
$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
Aylesbury Estate
By Keith Coventry
Located in London, GB
Screenprint in colours, 2014, signed, edition of 50, 54 x 42 cm. (21¼ x 16½ in.) Keith Coventry was born in Burnley in 1958 and lives and works in London. He attended Brighton Polytechnic 1978– 81 and Chelsea School of Art London 1981– 82. He was featured in the seminal exhibition Sensation at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 1997 and in 2006, he received a mid-career retrospective at Glasgow's Tramway (Art Centre). He was also a co-founder and curator of City Racing, an influential not-for-profit gallery in Kennington, South London from 1988-98. His work has been exhibited widely in the UK and Europe and is included in collections worldwide, including the British Council; Tate Modern; Arts Council of England; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis;, and The Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 2010 Coventry was awarded the John Moores Painting...
Screen
$411
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.2 in
HandPainted Artist's Proof-Strawberry Moon Field-Awarded British Artist-GoldLeaf
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This latest limited, hand-painted Artist Proof is made on a premium metal/aluminium panel. All its gold-leaf parts are hand-painted and gilded by the artist herself, making each Pro...
Metal, Gold Leaf
$548
H 39.38 in W 27.56 in D 0.2 in
Do Not Go Gentle Into that Good Night-Hand painted No 2 Limited Edition of Ten
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This striking large hand painted limited Edition is No. 2 of only 10 in existence. 90% of the painting is hand-painted in oil and gesso on giclee by Shizico Yi, the edition featuring...
Gesso, Ink, Oil, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Giclée
$4,000
H 25 in W 1 in D 52 in
Three Square Composition, 1978 Signed Limited Edition Screen Print
By Larry Zox
Located in Rochester Hills, MI
Larry Zox (1937-2006) Three Square Composition, 1978 Print, Silkscreen, on Arches archival paper - 1978 52 " x 25 " inches Signed in pencil and marked VIII/LV Unframed. Larry Zox i...
Screen
$5,000
H 17 in W 16.94 in
Arrived /// Josef Albers Abstract Geometrical Screenprint 1960's Color Theory
By Josef Albers
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Josef Albers (German-American, 1888-1976) Title: "Arrived" Portfolio: Soft Edge - Hard Edge *Unsigned edition Year: 1965 Medium: Original Screenprint on Mohawk Superfine Bris...
Screen
$398
H 15.75 in W 11.82 in D 0.12 in
Hand Painted #1 Edition-Jardin d'Automne-British Awarded Artist-on Aluminium
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
This is a hand painted Limited Edition by the artist Shizico Yi with her own hand-mixed original paint on premium Aluminium board. Only Ten of this edition were made, highly collecta...
Metal
$675
H 30 in W 40 in
Exotischer Klang Exotic Sound, 1930 Oversize Archival Pigment print
By (after) Paul Klee
Located in London, GB
Exotischer Klang (Exotic Sound), 1930 (after) Paul Klee (Original work) is Pen and ink, pencil, and watercolour on paper, mounted on card, 47 × 61.3/62.3cm. Dusseldorf, North Rhine-...
Archival Pigment
$5,000
H 16.94 in W 16.94 in
Arctic Bloom /// Josef Albers Blue Orange Screenprint Homage to the Square Print
By Josef Albers
Located in Saint Augustine, FL
Artist: Josef Albers (German-American, 1888-1976) Title: "Arctic Bloom" Portfolio: Soft Edge - Hard Edge *Unsigned edition Year: 1965 Medium: Original Screenprint on Mohawk Superfine...
Screen
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