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 force est en toi
Annie Jungers
Sculpture - 37 x 23 x 8.5 cm Sculpture - 14.6 x 9.1 x 3.3 inch
€4,900
Will see you when I fall asleep II
Rahma Lhoussig
Painting - 130 x 150 x 5 cm Painting - 51.2 x 59.1 x 2 inch
€5,000
Waiting for the World to be big enough
Rahma Lhoussig
Painting - 100 x 80 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 2 inch
€3,600
While time is passing by
Rahma Lhoussig
Painting - 130 x 150 x 5 cm Painting - 51.2 x 59.1 x 2 inch
€5,000
Iding-Towards-Happiness-III
Sophia Oshodin
Painting - 91 x 91 x 5 cm Painting - 35.8 x 35.8 x 2 inch
€3,500
Riding-Towards-Happiness-III
Sophia Oshodin
Painting - 100 x 100 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 2 inch
€4,200
Le sage se façonne lui-même
Annie Jungers
Sculpture - 42 x 15 x 13 cm Sculpture - 16.5 x 5.9 x 5.1 inch
€5,250
Eternal Comeback
Nizaac Vallejo
Painting - 220 x 260 x 2 cm Painting - 86.6 x 102.4 x 0.8 inch
€64,000
Chronicles of a Common Event
Nizaac Vallejo
Painting - 200 x 170 x 5 cm Painting - 78.7 x 66.9 x 2 inch
€30,000
Jeune fille timide
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 25 x 13 x 26 cm Sculpture - 9.8 x 5.1 x 10.2 inch
€850 €680
L'oiseau bleu
Fannie Iribarnegaray
Painting - 100 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch
€1,400
Après le bain
Fannie Iribarnegaray
Painting - 100 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch
€1,400
Jeune femme au repos
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 28 x 24 x 23 cm Sculpture - 11 x 9.4 x 9.1 inch
€900
La contorsionniste
Changzheng Zhu
Sculpture - 30 x 39 x 18.5 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 15.4 x 7.3 inch
€1,200 €960
Le Cervin sérigraphie originale
Valerio Adami
Print - 70 x 82 x 1 cm Print - 27.6 x 32.3 x 0.4 inch
€900
Femme et chien, sérigraphie originale de Adami
Valerio Adami
Print - 90 x 70 x 0.05 cm Print - 35.4 x 27.6 x 0 inch
€900
Diptyque_1886_serie Journal
Marie Renaud
Painting - 65 x 54 x 1 cm Painting - 25.6 x 21.3 x 0.4 inch
€650
Nu drapé fond rouge / bleu RX
Peter Klasen
Painting - 100 x 81 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 inch
€19,500
Espectacular Gratis
Nolwenn Samson
Painting - 81 x 65 x 1.5 cm Painting - 31.9 x 25.6 x 0.6 inch
€2,800
Au quatre coins de Paris
Marie Renaud
Painting - 80 x 60 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.4 inch
€560
Petite méditation sur fond bleu
Changzheng Zhu
Painting - 24 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€315 €252
Petite méditation sur fond rouge
Changzheng Zhu
Painting - 24 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 9.4 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch
€315 €252
Une reconquête moderne de l’espace classique I.
Valerio Adami
Print - 40 x 30 cm Print - 15.7 x 11.8 inch
€250
Danseuse 2
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0 inch
€125 €107
L'acrobate 2
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0 inch
€125 €107
L'acrobate 1
Changzheng Zhu
Fine Art Drawings - 38 x 38 x 0.1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 15 x 15 x 0 inch
€125 €107
Le Jugement de Paris et l'école de Montmartre
Erró
Painting - 300 x 200 x 3 cm Painting - 118.1 x 78.7 x 1.2 inch
€120,000
La Joconde marche enfin
Francky Criquet
Painting - 172 x 122 x 4 cm Painting - 67.7 x 48 x 1.6 inch
€5,000