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Robert Detheux "Visage aux petites annonces" painted in 1980
€495Bid from €375
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Batalha, PortugalOn Whoppah since July 2024 • 58 sales
Product description
This painting on cardboard by Robert Detheux entitled "Visage aux petites annonces", dated 1980, combines a background of 1970s classified ad newsprint with interventions in pastel and other materials, creating a work that is both raw and poetic. The face that emerges from this printed screen is reduced to its essential elements: two large, disproportionate circular eyes, a long vertical nose and a sketchy mouth, all inscribed in a sketched outline of the head. The contrast between the mechanical repetition of the newspaper, saturated with anonymous words and advertisements, and the gestural force of the pastel lends a singular tension to the whole: the anonymity of the mass and consumer society confronts the affirmation of individuality. This approach evokes the cubist collages of Picasso and Braque, who were already incorporating fragments of newspapers into their compositions, as well as Dubuffet's art brut, where the human figure is deliberately simplified, almost childlike, and charged with expressive intensity. It also recalls the matierist experiments of Antoni Tàpies, who used poor materials and atypical supports to give poetic density to his works, as well as the frontal, urban energy of Basquiat, whose faces and signs emerge from a chaos of words and fragments of reality. For Detheux, this work testifies to a desire to create a dialogue between the banality of everyday life and intimate expression, transforming a trivial medium into a space of visual poetry and confrontation between the individual and society.
Robert Detheux (1935-2010) - Surrealism, Dadaism, Lyrical abstraction
An exceptional discovery: Robert Detheux's secret studio finally revealed!
Following the revelation of his long-hidden studio, I had the unique opportunity to acquire Robert Detheux's entire studio collection: over 1,200 works spanning his entire career, from his first experiments in 1949 to his last creations, two years before his death in 2010. Each piece is certified by the artist's original stamp.
Born in Brussels, Robert Detheux established himself as a singular figure on the Belgian art scene in the 1950s. Close to the surrealist circles inherited from Magritte and Paul Nougé, he distinguished himself with works in which the imaginary, the unconscious and the absurd are interwoven with poetry and humor. His commitment to Dadaism led him to explore collage, assemblage and automatic writing, giving his work great formal freedom.
His Surrealist and Dadaist paintings testify to a profuse inventiveness and a strong taste for surprise. From the 1970s onwards, Detheux moved towards lyrical abstraction, without ever renouncing the spirit of experimentation of his early days. His abstract works, vibrant with color and gesture, retain a dreamlike dimension and a unique visual poetry.
Robert Detheux has exhibited in numerous Belgian and European galleries, including Galerie Isy Brachot in Brussels. His work can be found in many public and private collections, embodying the spirit of experimentation and freedom of post-war Belgian art.
Each work will be sent flat-packed, carefully protected. Some pieces may be slightly missing or flawed, reflecting their history.
Sources
- Archives of Galerie Isy Brachot, Brussels
- Dictionary of Belgian painters (Arto)
- Exhibition catalogs (1950-1980)
- Publications on Surrealism and Dadaism in Belgium
Specifications
ConditionVery goodColorsBrown, White, RedMaterialPaperNumber of items1OrientationPortraitArt sizeMediumHeight50 cmWidth40 cmDepth1 cm
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About this seller
Batalha, PortugalOn Whoppah since July 2024 • 58 sales