Description
Figuration Libre (French pronunciation: [fiɡyʁasjɔ̃ libʁ], Free Figuration) is a French art movement which began in the 1980s. It is the French equivalent of Bad Painting and Neo-expressionism in America and Europe, Junge Wilde in Germany and Transvanguardia in Italy. Artists in the movement typically incorporate elements of comic book art and graffiti into their work. They use bright colors and exaggerated, caricature-like figures.
The group was formed in 1981 by Robert Combas, Remi Blanchard, François Boisrond and Hervé Di Rosa. The term 'Figuration Libre' was coined by Fluxus artist Ben Vautier. Other figures include Richard Di Rosa and Louis Jammes. Between 1982 and 1985, these artists exhibited alongside their American counterparts Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Kenny Scharf in New York City, London, Pittsburgh and Paris. Read more ↗
Key Artists
Robert Combas
Co-founder and leading figure of Figuration Libre who pioneered bright, unmixed colors and wild, comic-book inspired narratives.
Hervé Di Rosa
Co-founder of Figuration Libre who populated his energetic canvases with pop-art monsters, cartoons, and graffiti-derived characters.
François Boisrond
Founding painter of the 1981 Figuration Libre circle known for simplified, colorful silhouettes depicting everyday urban life and media imagery.
Rémi Blanchard
Co-founder of the group whose expressive canvases incorporated fairy tale motifs, animals, and bold contours derived from folk art.
Richard Di Rosa
Major sculptor of the movement who translated his brother Hervé Di Rosa's colorful, caricatural figures into whimsical three-dimensional sculptures.
Famous Artworks
René et Raymond
Hervé Di Rosa · 1982
Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon - Acrylic on canvas
Le Grand Cerf et le Feu
Rémi Blanchard · 1982
Collection d'Art Contemporain de la Ville de Paris - Oil and acrylic on canvas
Fun Facts
The name 'Figuration Libre' (Free Figuration) was officially coined in 1981 by Fluxus artist Ben Vautier during an exhibition organized in Nice to celebrate the youthful, anti-academic painters.
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org
Between 1982 and 1985, Figuration Libre artists frequently exhibited directly alongside their American counterparts Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Kenny Scharf in high-energy transatlantic gallery shows in New York and Paris.
↗ Source: en.wikipedia.org
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