505 - Georges Mathieu* (Boulogne-sur-Mer 1921 - 2012 Paris)

Georges Mathieu* (Boulogne-sur-Mer 1921 - 2012 Paris) Yellow Abstraction, 1958 color lithography/paper 70,5 x 49,5 cm signed Mathieu, numbered 45/150 signed and dated in the plate Mathieu 58 SCHÄTZPREIS / ESTIMATE € 200 - 400 STARTPREIS / STARTING PRICE € 200 Georges Mathieu was born on January 27, 1921, in Boulogne-sur-Mer. After studying literature, law, and philosophy, he began painting in 1942; his first abstract works were created in 1944–45. He settled in Paris in 1947, participated in the *Salon des Réalités Nouvelles*, and took a firm stand against geometric abstraction. Instead, he advocated for a style of painting that was spontaneous, emotionally immediate, and driven by gesture. Through exhibitions such as HWPSMTB (Galerie Colette Allendy, 1948) and Véhémences confrontées (1951), Mathieu played a pivotal role in shaping the international reception of Lyrical Abstraction and Art Informel. His large-scale compositions were often created at high speed: he applied paint using brushes, syringes, or directly from the tube, developing dense webs of lines, signs, and bursts of color. Forms often reminiscent of Far Eastern calligraphy combined with allusions to historical battles, rulers, and medieval history. From the 1950s onwards, Mathieu turned the act of painting itself into a public event, creating large-scale works before an audience. This performative dimension anticipated later artistic practices, such as those of Yves Klein. He was also active as a designer, creating—among other things—porcelain services for the Manufacture de Sèvres, posters for Air France, and medals, as well as the French 10-franc coin issued in 1974, for the Monnaie de Paris. PLEASE NOTE: The purchase price consists of the highest bid plus the buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, the fee of artists resale rights and platform fee. In the case of normal taxation (marked ° at the estimate), a premium of 24% is added to the highest bid. The mandatory sales tax is added to the sum of the highest bid, the buyer's premium and platform fee. This amounts to 13% for paintings, drawings, graphic works and sculptures and 20% for photographs and all other items. The buyer's premium amounts to 28% in case of differential taxation. The sales tax is included in the differential taxation.