Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) Lot n° 47

Marcheur en montagne, 1953 Imprint gathering, mixed media, ink, collage on paper, signed and dated lower right, annoted "Monsieur Cordier" on reverse 15 x 10 cm 5 29/32 x 3 15/16 in. Jean Dubuffet A major figure in 20th century contemporary art, Jean Dubuffet played a pioneering role after the war as the founder of Art Brut. Based on the theories that he developed extensively in his writings, Jean Dubuffet proposed the notion of "anti-culture". Alongside his friends of the Compagnie de l'Art Brut, founded at the Galerie Drouin in 1947, he sought to produce works "free of all artistic culture". When he died in 1985, Jean Dubuffet left behind a body of work of exceptional quality and innovation, having almost single-handedly invented a concept and a style. His pictorial, plastic and monumental productions are preserved in the greatest institutions and private collections in the world, making Jean Dubuffet one of the essential artists of the 20th century. A tireless traveler, he went to Switzerland, the Sahara and New York in search of atypical works and inspirations. Back in Paris, Dubuffet began several parallel series in 1952, including the Assemblages d'Empreintes. Marcheur en montagne (Walker in the mountains) sums up Dubuffet's approach during this period; this work was also exhibited at his 1960 retrospective in Paris. In 1953, the artist produced works in ink on paper and cut them out in all shapes and sizes, then assembled them, thus creating a subject, by chance of gesture and materials.