Abstrait

Alexandre Istrati is a non-figurative painter of Romanian origin who settled in Paris in 1947 with his wife Natalia Dumitresco, also a painter.

They were welcomed by the sculptor Constantin Brancusi who hosted them in the studio next to his in the impasse Ronsin in the 15th arrondissement. Their friendship lasted until the end and Brancusi even named them executors of his will.

After a period of influence from the Réalités Nouvelles, Istrati's paintings quickly evolved into a free lyrical Abstraction. This contrasted with the paintings of his wife Natalia Dumitresco.

Istrati's canvases mix deep greens, bright purples, intense reds and yellows. Later, his works are composed of red and blue with a lighter paste and diluted colors.

Although Alexander Istrati initially practiced figurative art, his work quickly evolved towards abstraction. During an exhibition at the Galerie Arthur in 1983, Alexandre Istrati confided: "Everything we had painted figurative was swept away with incredible force, and it was an experience without return."

Composed of a diverse color palette, Alexander Istrati's work expresses joie de vivre and vitality. He saw abstraction as an expression of life rather than a purely theoretical movement. He developed an unbridled art form in which bright colors, irregular piles of paint and impulsive brushstrokes were combined.

Among other things, he experimented with dripping by reworking it with a knife directly on the canvas, a very gestural art. The latter corresponds to the projection, flow or impulse of color in a spontaneous and non-representational way.

We are pleased to present a selection of works by this 20th century painter.