578 - Olivier Debré (1920 – Paris – 1999)

Olivier Debré (1920 – Paris – 1999) “Grise légère carée” Oil on canvas. (19)79. Approx. 182.5 x 182.5 cm. Signed, titled, dated, and inscribed “automne Touraine 79” on the reverse of the canvas. This work will be included in the online catalog raisonné of Olivier Debré’s paintings. • Striking painting from 1979, dating from Debré’s characteristic “abstraction fervente” phase • Floating veils of color and atmospheric expansiveness transform perceptions of nature into pure painting • A masterful fusion of lyrical sensitivity and powerful painterly gestures, inspired by the autumn light of Touraine Olivier Debré occupies a unique position within the contemporary context of the late 1970s. While the international art scene was dominated by Conceptual Art, Minimalism, and the emerging Postmodern movement, he remained radically committed to the sensibility of painting. He invented what is known as “abstraction fervente”—a passionate, emotionally charged abstraction with its own forms of expression. With glazed, fluid brushstrokes, he masterfully captures the symbiosis of monumental color fields and dynamic perceptions of nature in his paintings, transforming them into meditative spaces of experience. In doing so, he does not depict real landscapes, but translates the emotional sensation evoked by the light and vastness of nature into abstract equivalents. Atmospheric large-format works such as “Grise légère” capture fleeting moments—such as the Scandinavian winter light or the mist along the banks of the Loire—in almost transparent veils of color. To control these immense swaths of color, Debré uses monumental brushes mounted on long wooden poles and applies the paint directly to the canvas lying on the floor. These paintings are thus the direct result of a physical choreography and form the link to his later large-scale projects, such as the monumental stage curtains for the Comédie-Française in Paris. Provenance: Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia, acquired directly from the artist. Taxation: subject to margin scheme (VAT: Margin Scheme).