Bernard Buffet – La Plage de St Tropez
Bernard Buffet, La Plage de St Tropez is an original colored etching. This print features a scene of the Beach of St. Tropez. This print is a proof aside from the signed and numbered limited edition.
Buffet’s style changed little between his early work in series such as ‘The Horrors of War’ (1955) and later paintings such as Sumo Rikishi (1980-1). By the 1950s success had transformed this archetype of the Left Bank existentialist into a world-famous artist-celebrity who travelled by Rolls-Royce and holidayed at his chateau in Provence. Innovations in contemporary art were leaving Buffet behind. During the 1950s and 1960s, as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism purged representation from the canvas, Buffet’s continued repertoire of expressionist clowns, bullfighters, cityscapes and flagellated Christs were left open to accusations of quaintness, even kitsch. Nevertheless, in Japan, where two museums are dedicated to his work, he remained a giant, and his work is in the collections of both the Tate and the Pompidou Centre.
La Plage de St Tropez is defined by “dry” straight lines revealing the shape of buildings. Buffet’s buildings in this print depict elongated structures that depict loneliness and despair. He exhibits Paris in a lifeless manner. While predecessors like Renior and Caillebotte used rain and stippled light to give beauty to each Parisian world they depicted, Buffet shows us the grace in the city’s structure, relying on the importance of drawing, the basis of all great work.
| Title | La Plage de St Tropez |
|---|---|
| Alt. Title | The Beach at St. Tropez |
| Medium | Etching |
| Year | c. 1965 |
| Edition | Proof |
| Signature | Unsigned |
| Size | 19.75 x 26 (in) 50 x 66 (cm) |
| Price | Price on Request |
Category: Bernard Buffet
Description
Bernard Buffet, La Plage de St Tropez is an original colored etching. This print features a scene of the Beach of St. Tropez. This print is a proof aside from the signed and numbered limited edition.
Buffet’s style changed little between his early work in series such as ‘The Horrors of War’ (1955) and later paintings such as Sumo Rikishi (1980-1). By the 1950s success had transformed this archetype of the Left Bank existentialist into a world-famous artist-celebrity who travelled by Rolls-Royce and holidayed at his chateau in Provence. Innovations in contemporary art were leaving Buffet behind. During the 1950s and 1960s, as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism purged representation from the canvas, Buffet’s continued repertoire of expressionist clowns, bullfighters, cityscapes and flagellated Christs were left open to accusations of quaintness, even kitsch. Nevertheless, in Japan, where two museums are dedicated to his work, he remained a giant, and his work is in the collections of both the Tate and the Pompidou Centre.
La Plage de St Tropez is defined by “dry” straight lines revealing the shape of buildings. Buffet’s buildings in this print depict elongated structures that depict loneliness and despair. He exhibits Paris in a lifeless manner. While predecessors like Renior and Caillebotte used rain and stippled light to give beauty to each Parisian world they depicted, Buffet shows us the grace in the city’s structure, relying on the importance of drawing, the basis of all great work.
Buffet’s style focused on older, more conservative statues of art, such as drawing, while playing on the continuous popularity of Existentialism. Buffet’s figures are long, desolate, and solitary, yet at the same time empathetic; and they resonate with the public and critics alike.
While Buffet continued to enjoy success as a commercial artist until a debilitating illness prompted him to commit suicide, his work fell out of favor among critics in the 1960s and remains relatively unknown.
Additional information
| Title | La Plage de St Tropez |
|---|---|
| Alt. Title | The Beach at St. Tropez |
| Medium | Etching |
| Year | c. 1965 |
| Edition | Proof |
| Signature | Unsigned |
| Size | 19.75 x 26 (in) 50 x 66 (cm) |
| Price | Price on Request |
