Dubuffet as arcitect

Jean Dubuffet (1901-85) was one of the major painters of the twentieth century, but his architectural achievements have commanded less attention until now.

Captivated by the monumental size and three-dimensional possibilities of an architectural approach, Dubuffet collaborated with Fernand Leger's ceramicist, Roland Brice, in transposing the Hourloupe series of paintings on to bas-relief. Further experiments with new materials, such as plastic resins, enabled him to work on a huge scale with multi-layered combinations of separate elements. Volume and space were his new medium, and public commissions followed. From simple objects in space, Dubuffet swiftly progressed to monumental sculptures as a dialogue with passers-by.

Daniel Abadie's "Dubuffet as Architect" serves as the catalogue to a major European exhibition about this aspect of the artist's output, restoring his projects - both those consummated in reality and those planned or abandoned - to the full attention they deserve. The exhibition opened at the Henie Onstad Foundation, Hovikodden-Oslo, Norway, between 10 March-29 May 2011.

Editor: Daniel Abadie
Contributors:
Design:
Paperback
192 pages
28 x 24 cm

Editions Hazan, Paris, 2011