120 - JACQUET, Alain (1939–2008)

JACQUET, Alain (1939–2008) Portrait of a Man (Mario Schifano), 1964 Cellulose acrylic screen-printed on canvas, signed lower left, no edition number indicated 162.5 x 114 cm (signs of rubbing) Exhibition: Nice, MAMAC, Alain Jacquet, Camouflages et trames, 2005, illustrated on pp. 90–91. Bibliography: Alain Jacquet, *Helen’s Boomerang*, ed. C. Givaudan, reprinted on p. 48. P. Restany, *Alain Jacquet, Le déjeuner sur l’herbe*, 25th Anniversary Edition, Éditions de la Différence, Paris, 1989, reprinted edition, p. 32. G. Scarpetta, Alain Jacquet, *Camouflages 1961–1964*, ed. Cercle d’Art, Paris, 2002, reprinted edition, pp. 102–103. In 1964, Jacquet revisited the theme of Manet’s *Luncheon on the Grass* to create a contemporary tableau vivant. Arranging them in the same composition as Manet’s figures, he placed art critic Pierre Restany, the Goldschmidt sisters, and painter Schifano around a swimming pool. A photograph of the scene, enlarged to an extreme degree, was used to create a silkscreen reproduction composed of print dots that obscure the details. The principle was to produce multiple copies so that the image could circulate, and to deliberately forgo the creation of a unique work. From this same photograph, Mario Schifano’s face was cropped to create a new work, produced in various color combinations and screen-printed. Ten versions of the same portrait were produced in runs of 10 copies each. “The entire series of Portraits of Men was produced the same week as *Luncheon on the Grass*. The larger the dots, the more the image disappears, but ultimately it always remains recognizable. The viewer simply needs to stand at the right distance to make it out. ” (Alain Jacquet, interview with Sylvie Couderc, 1998)