Roger-Edgar Gillet

Born in 1924 in Paris, Roger-Edgar Gillet studied at the École Boulle from 1939 to 1943. He was later a teacher at the Académie Julian from 1946 to 1948, where he meets Thérèse who would later become his wife.

Roger-Edgar Gillet creates at first abstract works. He takes part in exhibitions organized by critics Michel Tapié and Charles Estienne. He is asscoiated to the European Lyrical abstraction, also known as Informal Art or Nouvelle École de Paris (New Paris School), with painters such as Georges Mathieu, Pierre Alechinsky, Jean Messagier, Serge Poliakoff, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Jean Fautrier, Hans Hartung, Zao Wou-Ki...

Starting in the '60s, he becomes more interested in figuration, and humanity becomes the main theme in his works. His body of work is structured very clearly in series : the Judges, the Bigots, Marilyn, Musicians, Mutants... He also rinterprets religious themes such as the Last Supper or the Crucifixion. He creates landscapes in series such as Villes (Cities) and Marines.

Historically, Gillet has affinities with Goya and the Flemish James Ensor, and can be associated to the New Figuration and the expressionist movement.