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Almine Rech

Portraits / Abstraits

Sep 9 — Oct 9, 2021 | Paris, Matignon
For the safety of our visitors and staff, masks must be worn by all visitors upon entrance and hand sanitiser will be provided at the door and throughout the gallery. Inquire about the exhibition: inquiries@alminerech.com The gallery is open from 11 am until 7 pm.

Almine Rech | Paris, Matignon is pleased to present Portraits / Abstraits, a group show with works by: Karel Appel, Agustín Cárdenas, César, Antoni Clavé, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Günther Förg, Markus Lüpertz, Pablo Picasso, and Vivian Springford.

The artistic genre of the portrait is almost as old as civilization itself, and has remained endlessly fascinating. Since ancient times, artists have continually attempted to represent their own image, or that of others. Through the centuries, portraits have served as official documents, objects of veneration, visual family trees, or psychological studies. When it meets its objectives, the portrait elevates the essence of its subject.

Five of the nine artists in Portraits / Abstraits, who are all masters of 20th-century art, approached the portrait from eclectic and shifting angles. Not satisfied with a simple representation on canvas, each tried to depart from classical ideals. They experimented with multiple and surprising approaches to the portrait, without ever giving up the very principle of the genre: capturing the spirit of the model.

— Jessica Holmes, writer and critic

Press release

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Selected artworks

  • Antoni Clavé,                                      Deux Mains , 1964

    Antoni Clavé Deux Mains , 1964

    Oil on carboard
    105 x 75 cm
    41 3/8 x 29 1/2 in

  • César,                                      Stéphanie, 1997

    César Stéphanie, 1997

    EA 1/4
    Edition à 8 ex + 4EA
    Bronze soudé - Fondeur Bocquel
    99 x 34 x 30 cm
    39 x 13 3/8 x 11 3/4 in

  • Günther Förg,                                      Untitled, 1990

    Günther Förg Untitled, 1990

    Acrylic on wood, in artist's frame
    60 x 50 cm
    23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in

  • Günther Förg,                                      Untitled, 1990

    Günther Förg Untitled, 1990

    Acrylic on wood, in artist's frame
    60 x 50 cm
    23 5/8 x 19 3/4 in

  • Markus Lüpertz Männer ohne Frauen, Parsifal, 1994

    Encaustic and oil on canvas
    200 x 162 cm
    78 3/4 x 63 3/4 in

  • Günther Förg,                                      Untitled, 2006

    Günther Förg Untitled, 2006

    Acrylic on canvas
    200 x 250 cm
    78 3/4 x 98 3/8 in

  • Vivian Springford,                                      Untitled, 1984

    Vivian Springford Untitled, 1984

    Acrylic on canvas
    76.2 x 76.5 x 2.9 cm
    30 x 30 1/8 x 1 1/8 in

  • Cruz-Diez,                                      Induction Chromatique N°212, 2016

    Cruz-Diez Induction Chromatique N°212, 2016

    Airbrush acrylic paint on aluminum
    120 x 120 cm
    47 1/4 x 47 1/4 in

  • Cruz-Diez,                                      Induction Chromatique à double fréquence RVB 7, 2014

    Cruz-Diez Induction Chromatique à double fréquence RVB 7, 2014

    Chromography on aluminum
    91 x 91 cm
    35 7/8 x 35 7/8 in

  • Karel Appel,                                      Nude (Nude Series), 1962

    Karel Appel Nude (Nude Series), 1962

    Oil on canvas
    160 x 130 cm
    63 x 51 1/8 in