Pierre Alechinsky

Name: ARTMAJEUR
Brand: ARTMAJEUR
Rating: 4.9 (12745 reviews)

Belgium •

Artist (Printmaking) •

Born unknown date •

Galerie Henri Chartier

Pierre Alechinsky, a Belgian artist born in 1927 in Schaerbeek, Belgium, has been deeply influenced by French culture since he began living and working in France in 1951. His artistic style is characterized by elements of tachisme, abstract expressionism, and lyrical abstraction. Alechinsky's diverse background includes a Russian Jewish father and a Belgian Walloon mother.

During his formative years, Alechinsky attended the l'École nationale supérieure d'Architecture et des Arts décoratifs de La Cambre in Brussels, where he studied illustration techniques, printing, and photography. It was here that he encountered the works of Henri Michaux and Jean Dubuffet, forming a lasting friendship with art critic Jacques Putman. In 1949, Alechinsky became a pivotal figure in the CoBrA movement, collaborating with artists such as Christian Dotremont, Karel Appel, and Asger Jorn.

In 1951, Alechinsky moved to Paris to study engraving at Atelier 17 under the guidance of Stanley William Hayter. His artistic journey took flight with his first Paris exhibition in 1954, where he began to explore Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. This fascination led him to Japan in 1955, where he exhibited his work and created a film on Japanese calligraphy.

As his reputation grew, Alechinsky exhibited extensively across Europe and the United States, earning recognition at prestigious events like the Venice Biennale. He cultivated creative partnerships with artists like Walasse Ting and maintained close connections with Christian Dotremont and André Breton.

In 1983, Alechinsky was appointed Professor of painting at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, solidifying his impact on future generations of artists. His contributions to the art world were further acknowledged with an honorary doctorate from the Free University of Brussels in 1994 and the use of one of his designs on a Belgian stamp in 1995.

Alechinsky's artworks are revered in esteemed collections worldwide, including the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Tate, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In honor of his artistic legacy, the main-belt asteroid 14832 Alechinsky was named after him in October 2000.