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Lot description
Abdelkader GUERMAZ (Algérie, 1919 - 1996) Composition, vers 1984 Huile sur toile marouflée sur panneau 24 x 61 cm Signé en bas à droite Cette oeuvre est incluse au catalogue raisonné de l'artiste sous le N°1070. *** Oil on canvas mounted on panel Signed lower right Registered in the artist's catalogue raisonné under n°1070. - A non-figurative painter from the New School of Paris, Abdelkader Guermaz is considered to be the eldest of the founding generation of modern Algerian painters. He revealed a promising artistic talent at an early age, which he developed at the Oran School of Fine Arts. Between 1940 and 1955, his works, which were still figurative at the time, were exhibited at the Colline gallery in Oran alongside those of Algerian and European artists as well as great names such as Picasso and Bernard Buffet. Around 1955, Guermaz gradually moved towards abstraction, influenced by the Parisian avant-garde as did many painters of his generation. He moved to Paris in the autumn of 1961, where he rubbed shoulders with artists such as Benanteur and Khadda, sharing with them a new artistic vision. Guermaz took part in the Peintres algériens exhibition in Algiers on 1ᵉʳ November 1963, then in the same exhibition in 1964 at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. He also exhibited his work at the UNAP Salons in 1964 and 1974. Supported by the Entremonde gallery for almost ten years, until 1981, he took part in several international salons: Tokyo in 1972, Tehran in 1974, Tunis in 1980, and London in 1981. He also designed tapestry cartoons for Riyadh airport. Thanks to these exhibitions, his work gained in visibility and received recognition from both the public and critics. ‘White, which was always considered an ‘ideal’, gradually invades the pictorial space, before almost completely replacing the colour, which is soon only present in the centre of the canvas; it becomes almost subjacent to the pictorial layer and is inserted into it, with its precious bluish tones, as if in a jewel case. The treatment of the material on the surface of the canvas, full of vibrations, now contributes entirely to the expression of the form. Guermaz's work takes on a contemplative character that is entirely premonitory. Pierre Rey, Abdelkader Guermaz, peintre du silence et de la lumière, p. 25"