Jacques Mahé de La Villeglé, Jacques Villeglé, is born in Quimper in 1926. He is a student at the sculpture department from the School of Fine Arts of Rennes, where he becomes acquainted with Raymond Hains that he follows in his proceeding. From 1947 to 1949 he studies architecture at Nantes, then moves to Paris. First manifold objects on beaches - including Saint-Malo - (thread of steel, waste of the Atlantic Wall...), objects with which he designs sculptures, the artist becomes a collector of torn posters in 1949; he was known as "poster man" and proclaims "guerrilla signs".
In the early '50s, the young man frequents dissidents’ lettrists (Bull Dog Brau, Guy Debord and Gil Wolman). Villeglé meets the poet-Lettrist Francois Dufrene in 1954. In 1958, he writes a clarification on torn posters entitled "The Collective Realities", forerunner of the manifesto of the New Realism. In 1960, after their joint participation at the first Biennial of Paris, Jacques Villeglé joins the New realistic group; he is also a founding member of this group (Martial Raysse, Yves Klein, Arman, Tinguely, Hains, Dufrene, Spoerri); this movement enacts "new perceptual approaches of reality" and is rooted, for Villeglé, in an art which wants to be non-technical and close to the one found in the street. He rips posters torn by time and by anonymous hands, glimpsing the party in them which is a work of natural art. He changes their status. He continues in this direction beginning from 1969, with socio-political cryptograms, graffiti wall that he uses to make an alphabet and texts with.
Along with his friend Raymond Hains, with whom he directs the film "Penelope", Villeglé appropriates the abstract and lyrical fissures of the City, instills in his works a dose of political protest, diverting advertising and press.
His first personal exhibition is organized in 1959. Since then, the work of Jacques Villeglé has been presented in more than one hundred personal exhibitions (in Europe and America) and in numerous group exhibitions (Salon of Youth in Paris, Salon of Comparisons, Nika Salon, etc.). His works are acquired by very important international museums. Despite the novelty of his approach, Jacques Villeglé must wait until 1970 to live off his art, and only obtains public recognition in the late 1970s; it is not until 1998 that the National Modern Art Museum acquires one of his torn posters.
The artist lives and works in Paris and Saint-Malo.
