123 - 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, repro. on p. 48. P. Restany, Alain Jacquet, *Le déjeuner sur l’herbe*, 25th Anniversary, Éditions de la Différence, Paris, 1989, reprinted on p. 32. G. Scarpetta, Alain Jacquet, *Camouflages 1961–1964*, published by Cercle d’Art, Paris, 2002, reprinted copies, 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, would allow for a silkscreen reproduction composed of print dots that obscure the details. The principle was to multiply the number of 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 and screen-printed in various color combinations. 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)