Tableau XXem abstrait géométrie Gilbert Thevenot groupe artistique Rencontres

Very fine work by abstract artist Gilbert THEVENOT (1921-2018)
Interior, 1960
Oil and sand on canvas.
Monogrammed, titled and dated on the back
Dimensions: 117 x 81 cm

Very good condition

Throughout his career, the man who came to painting after a minor domestic accident pursued research into the balance between volume, color and form. He had found it in his latest canvases, with subjects that are both geometric and abstract.

Gilbert Thévenot was born on October 4, 1921 in Auxerre (Yonne), where he spent his childhood. His family moved to Dreux when he was around ten. During a jostle, he lost the motor skills in his right arm. The medical profession advised him to draw to test and consolidate his wrist. This rehabilitation led to a passion for drawing and his artistic vocation. At the age of fifteen, he decided to enlist in the French Navy as a ship's boy, and spent three years in the service.

At the end of this military period, he moved to Paris and spent his free time at the family home in Champs-sur-Yonne. It was at this time that he decided to embark on an artistic career. His first works were inspired by the wooded and riverside landscapes of Burgundy. The difficult period of the Occupation prompted the artist to join the Paris City Council to supervise the relocation of works to various museums. As a result, he came into contact with many works of art, notably admiring Bonnard's Le Déjeuner. The situation in France soon prompted him to escape the occupying forces and flee forced conscription for the STO. He took refuge in Champs-sur-Yonne, where he remained hidden until the liberation. He took advantage of this period to continue his studies of nature and to work on light in painting. At the end of the war, the artist joins Othon Friesz's studio at La Grande Chaumière, where he learns his taste for fauve line energy, color and strong contrasts.

In November 1950, Gilbert Thévenot exhibited at the Club Saint-Germain gallery alongside Shedlin and Audebès. The press made no secret of its enthusiasm, with Les Nouvelles Littéraires (14/12/1950) highlighting G. Thevenot's: "The sensuality with which he describes each curve, the precision with which he sets each tone, in a word this artisanal taste for well-crafted work, constantly reworked and striving for perfection, belong to another generation. It's rare to discover them in a young artist."

In 1952-53, Thevenot joined the artistic group Rencontres, formed on the initiative of the Société des Nouveaux Artistes et Ecrivains Français Associés and the magazine Rencontres. An exhibition is organized under the aegis of the group from May 21 to June 1, 1954 at the Galerie Cini, (47 rue de Seine). Thevenot regularly participates in the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Indépendants, and was shortlisted for the Prix Othon Friesz. He also exhibited at Galerie Bellechasse.

Ref: 96PKKPROSD