Bernard Frize is a French abstract painter known for his exploration of the process of painting, focusing on the mechanics of creation rather than the end result. By eliminating personal expression and allowing the medium and technique to take precedence, Frize has crafted a unique style that embraces repetition, chance, and vibrant color.
Biography
Bernard Frize, born in 1949 in Saint-Mandé, France, is a French artist renowned for his diverse use of materials and techniques. His approach to painting strips it down to its core, eliminating aesthetic concerns and conceptual narratives. Instead, Frize emphasizes an industrial, process-driven method. His work often involves unconventional tools and materials, sometimes requiring the help of assistants to achieve his desired results.
Frize perceives painting as a way to create harmony between nature, the observer, and the canvas. He has stated that his works are not primarily about the process, yet the process itself is a key element in involving the viewer, offering a simultaneous experience.
His paintings have been widely exhibited across Europe, including his notable 2019 exhibition Sans repentir at the Centre Pompidou, curated by Angela Lampe. Frize has also showcased his work in the UK and the U.S. He is represented by leading galleries such as Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin (Paris, Miami), Simon Lee Gallery (London), and Galerie Nächst St. Stephan (Vienna). He currently divides his time between Paris and Berlin.
Style, Movement, and Subjects
Frize is associated with the abstract and conceptual art movements. His works focus on the procedural aspect of painting, often using unconventional tools such as rollers and sponges to create geometric grids, patterns, and lines. His use of acrylic and resin in colorful, flowing compositions reflects a tension between control and spontaneity. Though abstract, his works can evoke landscapes or organic forms but never aim to convey emotion or personal narrative.
About Some Famous Works
Bernard Frize became known in the late 1970s for his paintings based on a simple principle of all-over coverage, exemplified by the iconic "Suite Segond" series (1980). In these colorful works, the artist does not "paint" in the traditional sense; instead, he collects the dried paint skins formed on the surface of poorly sealed paint cans and randomly applies them to the canvas. In the 1980s, Frize painted everyday objects, often in the form of delicate still lifes (such as "Still Life with Delft Blue," 1983). However, by the mid-1990s, he abandoned figuration in favor of a more programmatic and procedural abstraction, where painting became the result of one or a series of operations. The strict application of processes for covering the canvas and the mechanization of the artist's gesture eliminated subjectivity and emotion, casting the painter more as a worker than an artist, with Frize himself sometimes delegating the execution of certain works to assistants.
Despite its meticulous planning, Frize's painting still seeks to invite chance and accident, with his primary interest lying in the tension between the execution of a program and the unpredictability or improvisation that accompanies it (as noted by Jean-Pierre Criqui). Works like "Suite au rouleau" (1993), "Suite automatique" (1996), and "Suite à onze" (2007) illustrate Frize’s tendency to work in series. Within each series, new procedures for covering the canvas are devised (such as painting until the paint on the brush is exhausted), as well as strange, innovative tools for applying the paint (multiple-brush sticks, the use of the side or edge of the brush, etc.). In this regard, the artist and theorist Patricia Falguières identified over 180 categories to classify the various operation-actions that constitute Frize’s work.
Exhibitions and Art Market
Bernard Frize, a major figure in contemporary abstract art, has had a remarkable journey marked by significant exhibitions. His journey began in 1988 with an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in the City of Paris, followed by another in 1994 at the Chisenhale Gallery in London, where he started to gain recognition on the international stage. In 1999, he showcased his work at the Kunstverein in St. Gallen, and three years later, in 2002, he was exhibited at the SMAK in Ghent and the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague.
In 2003, his work was the subject of a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in the City of Paris, marking a turning point in his career. His pieces were incorporated into the Pinault Collection, and in 2006, they were presented at the exhibition "Where Are We Going?" at Palazzo Grassi in Venice, reinforcing his influence on the language of pictorial abstraction.
After several years, in 2015, he was honored with an exhibition at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. Then, in 2019, the Centre Pompidou revisited his work with the exhibition "Sans repentir," solidifying his position as a leader in the renewal of abstraction.
Throughout his career, Bernard Frize has played with his identity, sometimes choosing to modify his biography, while continuing to captivate the art world with his creations. Today, he lives and works between Paris and Berlin, and his work is present in numerous prestigious collections worldwide.
Artists Inspired by His Perspective
Bernard Frize's procedural approach to painting might have influenced numerous contemporary artists, particularly those interested in the intersection of chance and control. Artists like Liam Everett, who also explore the materiality and process of painting, might draw inspiration from Frize's method.
Public Collections Featuring Bernard Frize’s Works:
- Museum moderner Kunst, Vienna, Austria
- Kunstmuseum, Basel, Switzerland
- Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg, Austria
- MUHKA (Museum of Contemporary Art), Antwerp, Belgium
- SMAK, Ghent, Belgium
- Ars Aevi (Museum of Contemporary Art), Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Musée d'art contemporain, Montreal, Canada
- Kunstmuseum, St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Kunstmuseum, Zurich, Switzerland
- Tate Gallery, London, United Kingdom
- Kunstmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden, Germany
- Museum gegenstandsfreier Kunst Landkreis Cuxhaven, Germany
- Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany
- Städel Museum, Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany
- Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany
- MNAM Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
- Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
- Musée départemental de Rochechouart, Rochechouart, France
- Carré d'art, Musée de Nîmes, Nîmes, France
- Musée des Beaux-arts de Toulon, Toulon, France
- Musée d'Art moderne de Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France
- Musée de Dôle, Dôle, France
- Espace de l'art concret, Mouans-Sartoux, France
- Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, Paris, France
- Fond National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
- Fond Régional d'Art Contemporain Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Fond Régional d'Art Contemporain Basse-Normandie, Caen, France
- Fond Régional d'Art Contemporain Bourgogne, Dijon, France
These institutions house a variety of Frize’s works, showcasing his contributions to contemporary art worldwide.
Other Sources to Explore on Bernard Frize
- Catalogue général de la BnF.
- "An Artist and a Poet Discover Solitude’s Beauty." The New York Times, 25 September 2015. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Mun-Delsalle, Y.-Jean. "For Bernard Frize, Art Is About Avoiding Choices and Personal Expression." Forbes.
- Frize, B. Bernard Frize: Size Matters. Actes Sud, Nimes, 1999.
- Frize, B., Grosse, K., Serra, R. "Parkett No. 74," Parkett, 2005.
- Peppiatt, M., Peterson, J. A. Art Plural: Voices of Contemporary Art, Gatehouse, 2013.
- cda (17 June 2019). "[Flash Expo] Bernard Frize, Sans repentir at the Centre Pompidou." Connaissance des Arts (in French).
Bernard Frize’s work challenges traditional notions of painting by removing the artist’s hand from the process and focusing on the mechanics of creation. His abstract, process-driven style has made him a significant figure in contemporary art. His legacy lies in his ability to redefine the act of painting, inspiring both viewers and artists to think beyond the canvas and towards the systems of creation that underpin the final work.
Selena Mattei
| ArtMajeur Magazine
