Georges Mathieu

Georges Mathieu - An early interest in Tachism

Georges Mathieu was born on 27th January 1921 in Boulogne-sur-Mer; he was initially interested in philosophy and literature before turning to painting in 1942 at the age of 21. Although he first created realistic landscapes and portraits, he soon found his true artistic style in abstract, expressive depictions. In 1947, his growing interest in Tachism finally led to an exhibition that he organised in collaboration with the painter Camille Bryen. Mathieu became increasingly fascinated by an understanding of art that moved outside established norms and rules and was defined less by the finished work than by the act of creation itself.

Art as an event; the path as the goal

Accordingly, Mathieu loved to stage his art in front of an audience, virtually hurling out his paintings in an almost uncontrollable frenzy of speed and often only needing a few minutes for such a work. In 1956, he also proved to be a high-speed artist with a penchant for large dimensions: To the delight of his audience at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt, he created a four-by-twelve metre painting within half an hour which required 800 tubes of paint. However, despite his receptiveness to the audience's ovations, this kind of action art for Mathieu was far more than an end in itself; instead, he was firmly convinced that his artistic inspiration could only unfold properly under this high pressure. Detached from any lofty motivation on the part of the artist, this publicised way of staging himself also proved to be highly successful: Numerous exhibitions, especially in New York and Paris, showed Mathieu's works and made them and their creator known all over the world. In 1959, Mathieu took part in Documenta III in Kassel with several of his paintings which straddled Japanese calligraphy and informal art.

Successful painter, sculptor, art theorist

In addition to fame and honour, his artistic success also paid off commercially: Prices paid for works by Georges Mathieu quickly reached considerable heights, providing the artist with a comfortable living and a good income. After these initial sales successes, Mathieu took meticulous care to remain true to the style he had found and established, which occasionally led to him being accused by critics of pandering to commerce. However, this does not do justice to the ultimately versatile artist, as Mathieu also tried his hand as a sculptor in the 1960s and designed furniture, carpets and murals. The artist also wrote several art-theoretical works, including the highly acclaimed essay Au-delà du Tachisme, published in 1963.

When Georges Mathieu died on 10th June 2012 at the age of 91, the international press agreed that the art world had lost one of the most important masters of lyrical abstraction and had become a little poorer with the death of the great Frenchman.