Claude Tousignant

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Claude Tousignant
Born October 23, 1932
Montreal, Quebec
Nationality Canadian
Field Painting, Sculpture
Training School of Art and Design at the MBAM
Movement Plasticiens, Tachism
Famous works "Chromatic accelerator" series
Awards Officer of the Order of Canada)

Claude Tousignant is a Canadian artist born in Montreal, Quebec on October 23rd 1932.


Contents

[edit] Formal training

1952-1953 Académie Ranson, Paris
1948-1952 School of Art and Design at the MBAM (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal)


[edit] Biography

Claude Tousignant is a Canadian abstract painter and sculptor born in Montreal, Quebec. He is a world-renowned leading figure in modern art, especially through his paintings, always striving to get to the essence of art. He started his stylistic explorations in France during the early 50's, but returned home wanting more. Tousignant was then influenced by the Pop Art school, and rapidly adhered to a modern art movement in Montreal called "les Plasticiens". This group of four painters (Jean-Paul Jérôme, Louis Belzile, Rodolphe de Repentigny and Fernand Toupin) wanted abstract painting to go mainstream, and Claude Tousignant dove right in.

Geometric shapes and solid colors make up most of Tousignant's work (see samples in the gallery below), but he always refused to incorporate human or identifiable shapes in his drawings. He pushed the boundaries to simplify the expression itself in the act of painting, incorporating huge circles, square angles, vivid colors in his pieces. During the 1960's, his most popular series came alive with dozens of variations on colorful themes: "Chromatic transformers", "Chromatic accelerators" and "Gongs". But it is during the following decade that he audaciously came full circle on his vision, presenting monotone pieces, the simplest of art forms.

An excellent retrospective of his work is available online at the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal.


[edit] Awards


[edit] Work

Gallery


Museum collections

Artothèque de Montréal, Montréal QC
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto ON
Canada Arts Council, Ottawa ON
Larry Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield CT (USA)
Musée d'art Contemporain de Montréal, Montréal QC
Musée du Québec, Québec QC
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, Montréal QC
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa ON
Phoenix Museum of Arts, Phoenix AZ (USA)
Vancouver art Gallery, Vancouver BC
York University, Toronto ON


[edit] References

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal
Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal
L'Artothèque
Galerie l'Art Mûr

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