Background
Olivier Debré was born on April 14, 1920 in Paris, France. He has be inspired by his grandfather, Edouard Debat Ponsa, which painted impressionist’s landscapes.
Olivier Debré was born on April 14, 1920 in Paris, France. He has be inspired by his grandfather, Edouard Debat Ponsa, which painted impressionist’s landscapes.
After having following studies of architecture and history, he became Le Corbusier’s pupil at 18en years old.
His first paintings, made around 1943, reflect the influence of Picasso (whom he met in 1941), but since 1945 he turned towards Chinese abstraction in gouache and ink.
He frequented avant-garde artists such as Nicolas De Staël, Serge Poliakoff and Pierre Soulages, what led him to adopt a pictorial technique of several applied colors over thick layers applied with a knife.
In 1960, Olivier Debré adopted an intense color palette which will become characteristic of his style later on, a change which was not unrelated to his frequantation of great American abstract expressionist artists like Kline, Rothko, or Olitski. Since then, Olivier Debré shared emotions he felt when facing natural phenomena (storms, typhoons, rivers, particularly the Loire) through strong accents of color and light over fluid colored backgrounds.
Since 1965, the artist worked on formats increasingly large and monochromatic, reaching 6 meters in the 80s. He described his painting as "fervent abstraction" because it is the materialization of his emotions.
Olivier Debré was the subject of several institutional exhibitions: In 1967, he represented France at the Montreal World Exhibition and in 1995 a retrospective of his work was held at the National Gallery of Jeu de Paume, before traveling through Europe and Latin America.
During 1980-90, he was asked for public orders for French Comedy, the Hong Kong Opera, and the Opera House of Shanghai, he decorated as well, the sets for the ballet "Signs" by the choreography of Carolyn Carlson.
Geiranger
Forme
Touraine automne, jaune rose
Untitled
Petite langue...
Pale jaune
Composition
Ouarzazate
Figure vert-jaune
Esquisse Boulogne
Nauplie
Rouge coule de touraine
Rose Gris Raye a la Bande Orange
Blanche ocre
Paysage Rouge
Red Xian
Bleu
Composition bleue, taches rouge et jaune
Royau bleu (vert)
Norvège Brune Ottual
Blanche rose
Peuplier clairs
Ocre jaune d'automne
Cap Sounion, ocre rose
Rose de Ouarzazate
Blanc gris d'hiver
Rouge l'automne touraine
Oslo-neige
Petit jardin du jaune
Daitoku-ji Temple
Saint Georges Tache Bleu
Ocre rose à la trace bleu pâle
Printemps de tilleuls rose et bleu
Grise de Loire
Petit vert à la tache rose
Untitled
Le Rideau rouge (Châteauroux)
Composition abstraite
Gris coulée de Loire à la trace ocre
Orange-Gris-Bleu
Rose de Mexique Teotihuacan
Vinter Oppdal
Les hauts fleuris
Ossiach
Rose de la Montagne
Tout vert
Blanche variante taches rouges de Royan
Blanche de l’Acropolea
Rauland Violette
Quotations:
"I really tried to find how within a sign and without using conventions, I could express something without using illustration either."
"When I paint on the ground, there is a physical adherence that is sensual, almost sexual."