One of the most renowned French artists of his generation and a prominent figure of abstraction, Pierre Soulages had a remarkable until his death in 2022. His work comprises over 1700 canvases, spanning the post-war period to his final creation on 15th May 2022. He was admitted into the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris but refused to enter, convinced of the mediocrity and conformism of the teaching. He returned to Rodez, where he rediscovered prehistory, menhirs and Chinese calligraphy. In 1946, he decided to devote himself entirely to painting and research. After his success at the Salon des Surindépendents and the Salon des réalités nouvelles, his work was exhibited at the Phillips Gallery in Washington, the Guggenheim and MoMA in New York and San Francisco from the early 1950s. From 1979, Pierre Soulages produced monopigmentary paintings based on the reflection of light on the surface states of black, this series is known as Outrenoir, a neologism by which the artist defines the emergence of light within the non-colour that should engulf it. In 2019, to mark his 100th birthday, the Musée du Louvre devoted a tribute exhibition to him, covering the eight decades of his work. Before him, only Chagall and Picasso had the honor of such a retrospective in their lifetime.
One of the most renowned French artists of his generation and a prominent figure of abstraction, Pierre Soulages had a remarkable until his death in 2022. His work comprises over 1700 canvases, spanning the post-war period to his final creation on 15th May 2022. He was admitted into the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris but refused to enter, convinced of the mediocrity and conformism of the teaching. He returned to Rodez, where he rediscovered prehistory, menhirs and Chinese calligraphy. In 1946, he decided to devote himself entirely to painting and research. After his success at the Salon des Surindépendents and the Salon des réalités nouvelles, his work was exhibited at the Phillips Gallery in Washington, the Guggenheim and MoMA in New York and San Francisco from the early 1950s. From 1979, Pierre Soulages produced monopigmentary paintings based on the reflection of light on the surface states of black, this series is known as Outrenoir, a neologism by which the artist defines the emergence of light within the non-colour that should engulf it. In 2019, to mark his 100th birthday, the Musée du Louvre devoted a tribute exhibition to him, covering the eight decades of his work. Before him, only Chagall and Picasso had the honor of such a retrospective in their lifetime.
