back

1903 - 1966

Victor Brauner

description

A Romanian painter and sculptor of Jewish origin, the main representative of the vanguard of this country in the first half of the 20th century and during the post-war period. The artist made a significant part of his creative career in France. Although Victor Brauner, after his early post-impressionist and expressionist experiences, contributed to every avant-garde movement, much of his work fits into the concept of Surrealism.

Active in the cultural life of his country, the artist tried to develop avant-garde movements – he founded the magazine “75 HP” in Bucharest, wrote the “Manifesto of Picto-Poetry,” and organized exhibitions of Dadaists and Surrealists. However, the threat of falling into the dungeons of the Nazis forced the artist to settle in France.

Brauner was an active and influential member of the Surrealist association headed by Andre Breton; however, according to art expert, his art stood apart due to the artist’s unbridled imagination and, most importantly, his serious passion for esoteric ideas and the authentic art of different nationalities. This style made the artist original, especially after he lost his eye – the same one, which he depicted as knocked out in his self-portrait seven years before it happened in real.

Victor Brauner was a participant in major surrealist exhibitions; in 1966 (in the year of his death), he was chosen to represent France at the Venice Biennale. He willed to make the inscription, “Painting is life, real life, my life” on the grave plate of the Montmartre cemetery.

Key ideas:

– In his early teenage years, Victor communicated with Romanian decadent intelligentsia, attended spiritualism sessions, and became acquainted with numerous esoteric literatures. Entering the Bucharest School of Fine Arts at the age of 18, he did not paint landscapes in the manner of Cézanne for a long time, and soon became one of the most active participants in he Romanian avant-garde – he regularly published his articles in magazines, painted pictures for the magazine “UNI”, which supported not only Dada, but also Surrealism.

– Together with Dada poets T. Tzara and I. Voronka, Brauner organized the magazine “75 HP”, where he published the synthetic “Picto-Poetry Manifesto”, similar to the idea of Apollinaire’s calligrams; the only difference was that the Romanian avant-garde artist approached the synthesis from the perspective of a painter – his “Picto-Poetry” contained poems as an element of painting. The artist started implementing this idea in Paris only 25 years later.

– Having settled in Paris, under the influence of I. Tanguy, with whom he shared the workshop, the artist created several paintings with distorted faces, including a self-portrait without an eye – this and a few other pictures created in the early 1930s turned out to be prophetic.

– After the tragic year of 1938 (the artist lost his eye), his works turned into a complex alloy of images and visions, uprooted from the subconscious of a modern European, who has a lot of fears, complexes, and taboos.

– The post-war painting of the master included forms and symbols based on Tarot cards, Egyptian hieroglyphs, ancient and Mexican (Maya, Aztecs, Indians) myths and codes. Most of the images of the late creations of Brauner have clear totem colours.

+ Read more

1903

1919

1924

1931

1934

1935

1939

1947

1951

1953

1958

1961

1963

1966

Victor Brauner was born

Victor Brauner was born into the family of a merchant keen on spiritualism. He attended the Evangelical School in Braille for four years. After several relocations, the family finally settled in Bucharest.

Started attending a course at the Academy of Fine Arts

Started attending a course at the Academy of Fine Arts, studied with professors D. Serafim and K. Petrescu. Later he took lessons at private workshops of H. Igiroshianu and S. Vladescu.

The first solo exhibition

The first solo exhibition of the artist (50 works) was held at the Gallery of the Union of Fine Arts. The artist actively worked in magazines together with Ilarie Voronca, illustrated books. He participated in the first exhibition of avant-garde art, organized by the magazine «Contimporanul». His first two-year trip to Paris was interrupted by a draft for service in the Romanian army. After returning to Bucharest, the artist married M. Kosch.

Settled with his wife in Paris

Having settled with his wife in Paris, he became interested in new ideas that Y. Tanguy, A. Giacometti and other surrealists proposed. He created his famous “Self-portrait without an eye”, which later became a proof of his anticipation abilities (he lost his left eye in a fight after seven years).

Exhibited his paintings at the Sixth Salon Supernaspendents

Exhibited his paintings with a group of Surrealists at the Sixth Salon Supernaspendents; met Andre Breton and held his first solo exhibition in Paris (Pierre Gallery; Breton himself wrote an enthusiastic introduction to the catalog).

Returned to Bucharest

Returned to Bucharest, where he opened a solo exhibition at the Mozart Gallery (the paintings were seized for non-payment of rent); illustrated texts of several Romanian authors. He tried to create the Association of Young Romanian Artists and publish a magazine of an apolitical group, but was not supported.

He held a personal vernissage at the Henrietta Gallery

After returning for permanent residence to Paris in 1938, he held a personal vernissage at the Henrietta Gallery. Due to the threat of Nazi occupation, he lived in the Eastern Pyrenees, and then received a residence permit in Marseille, where most of the surrealist group was located. He later sought refuge in Switzerland.

He set up his workshop in the building on Perrell Street

Returning to Paris in 1945, he set up his workshop in the building on Perrell Street, where Henri Russo previously worked, held a solo exhibition at the Pierre Loeb Gallery and participated in the grandiose international exhibition Surrealism in 1947, organized by A. Breton at the Maeg Gallery (Victor presented the Masa-Loop altar). The artist’s personal show was held at the Julian Levy Gallery in New York.

Brauner's solo exhibition

Brauner’s solo exhibition was carried out at the Hanover Gallery in London. Shortly before it, the artist, in solidarity with his friend R. Matta, left the surrealist group, where the authoritarian regime of A. Breton increased.

He settled in the south of France

Due to his illness, he settled in the south of France, worked at a ceramic workshop, where he met with P. Picasso; began cooperation with Alexander Iolas. Participated in the Venice Biennale-1954, traveled extensively around Italy. Soon he published his first monograph on his work.

Two personal exhibitions of the artist were held in Italy

Two personal exhibitions of the artist were held in Italy – at Milan Galleria del Naviglio and Rome Galleria Selecta; prepared his monographic album for printing.

The artist purchased a house in Wargenville

Having traveled to Spain (Madrid, Barcelona) and Italy, the artist purchased a house in Wargenville (Normandy), calling it “Asanor” (the furnace of the alchemists). The exhibition “Codex d’un visage” (aqua-forte) was organized at the Le Point Cardinal Gallery in Paris.

Received French citizenship

Received French citizenship, prepared a mobile personal retrospection, which was held at museums of Hanover, Vienna, The Hague and Amsterdam in 1965.

The artist died on March 12

The exhibition “Mythology” was held at the Paris gallery “Alex”. A room in the French pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Arts was reserved for the artist. However, the event took place without him: the artist died on March 12.