Henri MICHAUX
1899–1984, Belgium/France
Also known as: HM, HMI
The French writer, painter and graphic artist Henri Michaux was born in the Belgian town of Namur in 1899 and spent his childhood in Brussels. He wanted to become a priest, but followed his father\'s wish and began to study medicine in 1919, but soon abandoned this plan and signed on as a seaman. After reading works by Lautréamont he began writing in 1922. His acquaintance with Paul Klee, Max Ernst and Giorgio de Chirico, whom he met in Paris in 1925, inspired him to first painting and drawing attempts. Between 1927 and 1937 he travelled through South America and Asia. Afterwards Michaux sketched and painted his Phantomisms. He had his first exhibitions in Parisian galleries, followed by important shows abroad. In the mid 1950s Michaux began experimenting with hallucinatory drugs, particularly with mescaline, letting his experiences inspire his writing, painting and drawing. These works were first exhibited in 1956 at the Galerie La Hune in Paris. Then there was a large exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in December 1957 and a retrospective exhibition organised by Daniel Cordier in Frankfurt/Main in March 1959. His ink drawings evoke scriptural elements and calligraphic symbols which are a seismographic reflection of the artist\'s inner emotions. The two systems of word-language and sign-language pervade each other. Michaux\'s impressive oeuvre attracted much international recognition. He exhibited works at the documenta 2 and 3 in Kassel in 1959 and 1964; he was awarded the Einaudi-Prize at the Biennale in Venice in 1960. Michaux\'s paintings always remained figurative, in-spite of all tendency towards abstraction. The artist\'s intention was not to flee from the world, but to expand the world by changing the awareness. The real world was to be enhanced by additional levels of perception. Henri Michaux died in Paris in 1984 at the age of 85.
Source: http://www.belart.se/artists/henri_michaux/
Henri Michaux est un artiste et poète belge (naturalisé Français en 1955). Il est né à Namur en 1899 et décède le 19 octobre 1984 à Paris. Homme de talents multiples, il s’est illustré tant par sa production littéraire, que par sa production graphique. Son installation à Paris en 1925 marque le début de son engouement pour la peinture à travers la découverte des œuvres de Paul Klee, de Giorgio de Chirico ou encore de Max Ernst. Sa réflexion sur l’art graphique est enrichie par de nombreux voyages entre 1926 et 1936, par les évènements contemporains (durant la guerre il s’installe en zone libre), mais aussi par des drames plus intimistes comme la mort de sa femme en 1948. Peinture à la gouache, aquarelles, pastel, dessins et illustrations : l’œuvre d’Henri Michaux est polymorphe, elle a une répercussion importante sur son époque. La peinture est pour lui une échappatoire qui « laisse là les mots, [et] arrête la démangeaison du pourquoi et du comment ». Sa démarche est proche de celle des surréalistes, en utilisant des psychotropes, ses dessins deviennent de véritables écritures de son inconscient. Les dessins mescaliniens en sont la meilleure illustration. Son style relève l’abstraction lyrique. Il expose à la Biennale de Venise en Venise en 1960 où il reçoit le prix Einaudi.
Source: http://www.artprecium.com/