Francois BARON-RENOUARD
(1921 – 2015)
The philosophical colorist
“I paint the wind, space, the sea, the horizons.”
Why is it fascinating?
François Baron-Renouard is a pure, visceral colorist who has found the perfect balance between strength and nuance.
Close to lyrical abstraction, he develops a universe made of tense chromatic masses, ample rhythms, and open structures. He seeks to breathe life into space.
He explores fluid and luminous forms, seeking to capture the intensity of the moment through plays of light and shadow. He plays with contrasts, transparency, and light effects to give an almost magical dimension to his compositions.
A very contemporary work
Often centered on nature, landscapes and faces, it is marked by an innovative use of light which makes shapes emerge from the background of the canvas.
His work evokes today's digital palettes: vibrant colors, stark contrasts, bold flat tints.
Baron-Renouard worked slowly, always listening for the "right" gesture. Everything is done by hand, by instinct, by material.
Why is it presented here?
Because it is a generous, inhabited painting. It embodies a profound but accessible abstraction.
A figure of post-war French abstraction, a friend of Schneider, Poliakoff, and Mathieu, he left behind a luminous and musical body of work that was not limited to painting but was also devoted to the applied arts: stained glass, mosaics, and tapestries.
Over the decades, he has built an international reputation thanks to his exhibitions in the world's greatest museums and galleries.
Where to see it?
- Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris
- Rennes Museum of Fine Arts
- Rouen Museum of Fine Arts
- National Contemporary Art Fund (FNAC)
- French and international private collections