Artwork information

Category

Print

Technique

Mixed media on lithograph

Date

1988

Dimensions

76 cm x 51 cm

Signature

Unsigned

Proof(s) of authenticity

Lithograph sold with a certificate of provenance issued by the Mourlot editions

State of conservation

Very good

Framing

Yes

Location

Paris, France

Description

This exceptional work is a unique print annotated and hand colored by Bernard Buffet in 1988. Bernard Buffet's interventions on this lithographic print were intended for the printer before launching the printing of the lithograph "Bouquet de quatre roses". A limited edition of 125 copies (plus 25 artist's proofs) was finally printed by the Imprimerie Mourlot in Paris.

This unique proof is remarkable because it allows us to appreciate the process of creating a lithograph and in particular the attention paid to the colors. Bernard Buffet used gouache and pencil to annotate and make his observations on the work.

The dimensions indicated (76 x 51 cm) are those of the sheet only, they do not take into account the frame.

Provenance

Mourlot's Collection

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The artist

Painter
Drawer

Bernard Buffet

Famous artistFamous artist
Painter
Drawer
Born in 1928
France

Bio

Bernard Buffet is a French painter of the second half of the 20th century, he is considered a "miserable expressionist". Indeed, his style find its inspiration from a very modest everyday life. As a productive artist, he received great recognition during his lifetime.

Bernard Buffet was born on July 10, 1928 in Paris, where he spent his childhood on rue des Batignolles in the city's 17th arrondissement. At the age of 15, he won the entrance exam to the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and at only 18, he became a professional artist. In 1947, he received a commission from the National Museum of Modern Art of Paris. 

In 1951, Bernard Buffet befriends personalities such as Jean Cocteau, Louis Aragon, Pierre Bergé, Jean Giono, Georges Simenon or Maurice Druon. The latter even devoted a biography to him in 1964.

In 1958, the artist met Annabel Schwob who became his wife and muse. In 1974, Bernard Buffet is elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, and in 1993, he receives the "Légion d'honneur".

In 1997, Bernard Buffet was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. In 1999, unable to paint anymore because of his illness, Bernard Buffet puts an end to his life in Tourtour in the Var, France.

Bernard Buffet's works are poignant, his style is quite recognizable: gray and pale faces, foreheads marked by wrinkles, tight hands, straight hair, Bernard Buffet's characters are as if crucified.

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