Michel Bertrand – Vanitas – Oil On Canvas – Circa 1965

Oil on canvas depicting a modern Vanitas, in homage to the old masters.
The skull is placed on a table covered with a red and white tablecloth, in an interior where we see a few everyday objects: a bed, a floor lamp, a teapot, a vase of flowers. Everything is painted in a thick, sometimes textured. The execution is rapid.

It is a large work, mounted on a plywood panel. It is presented unframed, surrounded by a wooden strip.
The work is in very good condition. It appears as a reproduction under number 21 in the book Michel Bertrand – Le geste, le dessin et l'écriture. Author: Bernard Gouttenoire, Montchalin editions, 2015.
The work was created by Michel Bertrand around 1965, a period during which he was following in the footsteps of Nicolas de Staël.
This work comes from the artist's studio and was kept in the family until its recent sale in Lyon.

The artist
Michel Bertrand was born in 1935 in Montpellier. He trained at the Beaux-Arts in Montpellier and Paris. In the 1960s, he opted for a very personal figuration. He then joined major movements in contemporary art, such as Support/Surface and Fluxus. He became very close to Claude Viallat and Ben. He explored graffiti, tar, and reliquaries. He developed a vast body of work around papier-mâché.
His work is recognized by the greatest institutions: in 1981, the Musée National d'Art Moderne Centre Georges Pompidou acquired 6 of his works. Others are kept at the Musée d'art moderne de Saint-Étienne, the Musée Paul Valéry de Sète, and the Musée d'art moderne de Céret.

Work visible at the gallery (07240) ​​​​​​​
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