Movement Narrative Figuration
Narrative Figuration first appeared in the 1960s, as a response to abstraction. Although not as well-known as Pop art, Narrative Figuration created a community of artists across Europe who engaged with the colourful, entertaining and heavily political movement. Despite it being commonly associated with Pop art, American Pop art was considered too hegemonic and formal in comparison to Narrative Figuration, which sought to display the political struggles of the time.
Narrative Figuration was a concept invented by art critic, Gérald Gassiot-Talabot in 1964. Along with artists Bernard Rancillac and Hervé Télémaque, Gassiot-Talabot organised the exhibition “Mythologies quotidiennes." Artists such as Eduardo Arroyo, René Bertholo, Gianni Bertini, Öyvind Fahlström, Peter Klasen, Jacques Monory, Antonio Recalcati and Jan Voss took part in the exhibition. They sought to communicate socio-political changes via their works, and did so through the use of comic strips, films, photography and advertising campaigns. Most artists of the Narrative Figuration movement were inspired by Herbert Marcuse's Marxist theories of May 68; believing the rebellious potential of artists' works should be reflected in their aesthetic, as opposed to discourse. Artists reproduced shocking images found in the media, using visual language to convey the political urgency of the time. May 1968 was a tumultuous period of civil unrest, where strikes and demonstrations nearly stopped France's economy all together.
Hervé Télémaque: born on November 5, 1937, Télémaque is a French painter of Haitian origin, and is a central influence to Narrative Figuration.
Bernard Rancillac is a French artist, painter and sculptor born in 1931 in Paris. He continues to live and work in the Paris region. Along with Gassiot-Talabot, Hervé Télémaque and Foldes, he co-organised the exhibition "Mythologies quotidiennes."
Jacques Monory: one of the main figures of the Narrative Figuration movement. Monoroy was deeply concerned by the violence depicted everyday, and his heartache can be felt in his heavily emotive paintings. Monory develops his works through photography and cinematography appropriated from contemporary society. His works are recognisable through their use of monochromy, type of composition and themes.
Peter Klasen: in 1964, he participated in the exhibition "Mythologies quotidiennes", which brought together 34 Narrative Figuration artists in the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris.
Although Narrative Figuration was somewhat forgotten after the 1980s, it can still be considered one of the most important contemporary art movements in France. Discover artists like, Valerio Adami, Antonio Segui and Erró on Artsper, who continue to incorporate the values of this inspiring movement in their works.
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La gouvernante anglaise
ShuJie Wang
Painting - 80 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch
€800
Jeune fille à la boucle
Changzheng Zhu
Painting - 65 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€620
Le Rhinocéros Bleu
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 14 x 35 x 12 cm Sculpture - 5.5 x 13.8 x 4.7 inch
€700
Fire in my soul
Nolwenn Samson
Painting - 180 x 180 x 6 cm Painting - 70.9 x 70.9 x 2.4 inch
€12,500
Panama Al Brown
Eduardo Arroyo
Fine Art Drawings - 21 x 15 cm Fine Art Drawings - 8.3 x 5.9 inch
€700
Sunny day in Peniscula
Kateryniuk Oleg
Painting - 85 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 33.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,800
La vie est une marchandise
Gérard Fromanger
Print - 56 x 90 x 0.05 cm Print - 22 x 35.4 x 0 inch
€2,500
Fantasy castle on the air
Eugene Gorbachenko
Painting - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch
€1,500
A sunset in paradise
Victoire Kammerman
Painting - 162 x 130 x 4.5 cm Painting - 63.8 x 51.2 x 1.8 inch
€4,500
Mourir et Peindre
Francky Criquet
Painting - 172 x 122 x 4 cm Painting - 67.7 x 48 x 1.6 inch
€4,700
Self Portrait with Haircut
Peter Saul
Print - 76.2 x 55.9 x 1 cm Print - 30 x 22 x 0.4 inch
€8,449 €7,604
Three-quarter-length woman
Milena Sgambato
Painting - 45 x 40 x 2 cm Painting - 17.7 x 15.7 x 0.8 inch
€1,200
Folie 12
Denis Poughon
Fine Art Drawings - 26 x 13 x 1.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 10.2 x 5.1 x 0.5 inch
€350
La Sieste
Jules Mimouni
Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 2 inch
€1,250
It's not you, it's not me either
Rahma Lhoussig
Painting - 90 x 100 x 5 cm Painting - 35.4 x 39.4 x 2 inch
€3,800
A Farewell to My Problem Days II
Sophia Oshodin
Painting - 80 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 2 inch
€2,800
1886_serie Journal (2)
Marie Renaud
Painting - 65 x 54 x 1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.4 inch
€650
Laurette
Marie Renaud
Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 40 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.1 inch
€380
Hommage à Picasso et à Fernand Léger, aquagravure originale
Erró
Print - 56 x 81 x 1 cm Print - 22 x 31.9 x 0.4 inch
€1,400
Chairman Mao’s Long Journey, Breakfast in Oslo
Erró
Painting - 104 x 83 x 2 cm Painting - 40.9 x 32.7 x 0.8 inch
€7,500
Chairman Mao’s Long Journey, Watercolors in Moscow
Erró
Painting - 104 x 78 x 2 cm Painting - 40.9 x 30.7 x 0.8 inch
€7,500
Ferrari, aquagravure originale
Peter Klasen
Print - 76 x 56 x 2 cm Print - 29.9 x 22 x 0.8 inch
€1,200
Le Cirque (noir et blanc), gravure originale
Erró
Print - 55 x 87 x 1 cm Print - 21.7 x 34.3 x 0.4 inch
€900
Femme au chapeau, aquagravure originale
Erró
Print - 89 x 45 x 1 cm Print - 35 x 17.7 x 0.4 inch
€1,400
Paris-Madrid-Paris gravure originale
Eduardo Arroyo
Print - 76 x 56 x 1 cm Print - 29.9 x 22 x 0.4 inch
€1,400
“Chairman Mao’s Long Journey” Milano.
Erró
Painting - 99 x 102 x 2 cm Painting - 39 x 40.2 x 0.8 inch
€7,500
La déscente de la mariée
ShuJie Wang
Painting - 70 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch
€850
