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Jean-Claude Vignes

"Drawing is watching, abstracting, defining."

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Notes of biography

Jean-Claude Vignes is born in Reims in 1924. His family, devotee to art, conveys his passion to his children. Very soon, the young boy’s tastes lean towards literature, music and painting. Arrived in Paris in 1942, after followed classical studies, Jean-Claude Vignes studies at the School of Decorative Fine Arts and follow evening courses proposed by the Cultural Services of the City. The future artist discovers the painting of the masters of the Renaissance (Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Uccello, etc.) Painting that mark him forever (he has a passion for the work of Caravaggio, Titian and especially Piero della Francesca).
He is not yet twenty years old when he set up his first workshop; the young man is intensely involved in cultural activities of the turmoil of Paris post-war. He is introduced to printmaking (etching and engraving) and practices it during several years. He works (1947) with Hans Bellmer and color photography of the latter for his book "The Doll" (Ed. Marcel Zerbib). Vignes knows Ellsworth Kelly, who comes to live in Paris from 1948 to 1954 (much later, in 1992, Vignes participates at the setting of the exhibition of the latter held in the National Galery of the “Jeu de Paume”). Vignes travels (especially Italy).
Until his settling in Cannes (1963), the artist, alongside with his activities as a painter and engraver, conducts an activity of designer for theater, dance (for Janine Charrat and Peter Van Dyck in 1951) and film, exploring pictorial territory sensitized by his encounter with the work of American painter Mark Tobey. He designs the windows of the church of Fontaine les Grès in 1954, as well as models of books, discs and tissues. It is during this time that Jean-Claude Vignes acquires a mastery of techniques (painting, drawing).
His drawn work, in particular, stands gradually from the late sixties, subsequent to the series of "assemblies" and "painted relief" - which are more artistic concerns of the sixties - succeed then multiple sets of drawings that derive from each other. After experimenting with space-based traces of "Footprints" body, he creates the "frictions", draws the "crumpled paper". In 1968, Jean-Claude Vignes creates in collaboration, sets and costumes for the film "The body of Diana" (Jean-Louis Richard) with Jeanne Moreau with whom he befriends.
In the 80s, he discusses the impressive series of "Fragments of bodies" which reveals the direct translation of the purest of his own emotion. During a time, Vignes turns to a work of interpretation from the painting of old masters. Then other series come: "Clothing", "Cushion" dug by the weight of bodies, "Fish Heads", the "Quinces", the "Garlic" and "Landscapes", the last two series that he paints on the reused wood, old irregular and eroded boards.
Jean-Claude Vignes disappears in Nice in early 1996.

Artists on display

The art and the artists display: proclamations, galleries, museums, personal or collective exhibitions. On walls or in shop windows, wise or rebels, posters warn, argue, show. Some were specially conceived by an artist for such or such event, other, colder, have only the letter.

Some were created in lithographic technic, most are simple offset reproductions. They are many those who like collecting these rectangles of paper, monochrome or in games of colours, in matt paper or brilliant, with many words or almost dumb.

We are happy also to be able to greet, by this pages, mythical galleries as those of Denise René, Louis Carré, Claude Bernard, Berheim Jeune, Maeght, Pierre Loeb and others.

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Complete work(s)

Complete work(s)
Non réalisé à ce jour. All the complete works

Bibliographic track and more

To read about the artist :
  • « Sous les fenêtres de J.-C. Vignes », Rezvani, in Rouge et Noir, n°66, 1975
  • « J.-C. Vignes. Corps et fragments », Cat., Musée de la Castre, Cannes, 1991
  • « Hommage à J.-C. Vignes », Cat. d’expo., Musée de la Castre, Cannes, 1996
  • « Jean-Claude Vignes », F. Ballester, Cat., La Malmaison, Cannes, 2004
To read from the artist :
  • « J.-C. Vignes », Cat. d’expo., entretien, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims, 1995
Website :
www.jcvignes.com

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Beyond works currently in stock, it seemed to me useful to combine business with pleasure by letting you discover others works by artists in my gallery. These artworks, now sold or removed from our website, have been in our stock in the past.

These pages will undoubtedly make it possible for some of you to associate an image with its title or the other way round, for others it will be a good time to discover more on such and such artist. For the sake of confidentiality – the pieces being no longer available – we won't display neither their numbering or their price. For whatever reason, make sure to visit this amazing art database with to date 6441 online works just for your pleasure! Michelle Champetier

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