Bram Bogart Belgian, 1921-2012
Jeteur, 1958
Mixed media on canvas
24 x 85.5 cm
Signed and dated lower right
Signed, dated, titled and inscribed verso
Certificate of Authenticity by Bram Bogart Jr, no. 13
Signed, dated, titled and inscribed verso
Certificate of Authenticity by Bram Bogart Jr, no. 13
Bram Bogart ranks amongst the principal artists of the ‘Informel’, the large post-war movement, which abandoned geometric abstraction in favour of a more intuitive form of expression, similar to action...
Bram Bogart ranks amongst the principal artists of the ‘Informel’, the large post-war movement, which abandoned geometric abstraction in favour of a more intuitive form of expression, similar to action painting, but often a lot more textural. Bram Bogart worked at the heart of the movement, which included artists such as Alberto Burri in Italy, and Antonio Tàpies in Spain.
After the liberation in 1945, Bogart started to develop his first rough-textured wall-like landscapes, building up his paintings in layers of matter. In 1957 Bogart showed for the first time in the UK, as part of an Arts Council touring exhibition, and held his own among a group that included Dubuffet, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Pierre Soulages, and Karel Appel, Bogart's compatriot and a member of the Cobra group (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam). In 1958 Bogart had his first solo show in London, at Gimpel Fils gallery.
During 1958-1960 Bogart spent time in Rome, where he adopted colour. In 1960 Bogart moved to Belgium, first to Brussels, then to Ohain, in the province of Walloon Brabant. He took Belgian citizenship in 1969. During these years, Bogart ‘s paintings became increasingly thickly built up with layers of matter. Bogart had to devise his own metal stretchers to bear the weight of his work. For some artists, the material is an added value, but for Bogart the material is the value itself.
Although Bogart has used the same technique throughout his career, he has always been able to renew his painting. Thus, Bogart is considered a leader of post-war ‘matière’ painting.
Bogart's art entered collections all over Europe and was shown worldwide at museums including the Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Guggenheim in New York, the Louvre and Pompidou Centre in Paris. Following Bogart’s passing in January 2012, The Cobra Museum, Amsterdam paid a long-awaited tribute to the ‘Master of Matter’, with a large retrospective show (Sept. 2012 - Jan. 2013). In 2014, Tate Modern acquired three works. In 2022, the Museum Prinsenhof, Delft, hosted a major retrospective of Bogart's work.
After the liberation in 1945, Bogart started to develop his first rough-textured wall-like landscapes, building up his paintings in layers of matter. In 1957 Bogart showed for the first time in the UK, as part of an Arts Council touring exhibition, and held his own among a group that included Dubuffet, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Pierre Soulages, and Karel Appel, Bogart's compatriot and a member of the Cobra group (Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam). In 1958 Bogart had his first solo show in London, at Gimpel Fils gallery.
During 1958-1960 Bogart spent time in Rome, where he adopted colour. In 1960 Bogart moved to Belgium, first to Brussels, then to Ohain, in the province of Walloon Brabant. He took Belgian citizenship in 1969. During these years, Bogart ‘s paintings became increasingly thickly built up with layers of matter. Bogart had to devise his own metal stretchers to bear the weight of his work. For some artists, the material is an added value, but for Bogart the material is the value itself.
Although Bogart has used the same technique throughout his career, he has always been able to renew his painting. Thus, Bogart is considered a leader of post-war ‘matière’ painting.
Bogart's art entered collections all over Europe and was shown worldwide at museums including the Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Guggenheim in New York, the Louvre and Pompidou Centre in Paris. Following Bogart’s passing in January 2012, The Cobra Museum, Amsterdam paid a long-awaited tribute to the ‘Master of Matter’, with a large retrospective show (Sept. 2012 - Jan. 2013). In 2014, Tate Modern acquired three works. In 2022, the Museum Prinsenhof, Delft, hosted a major retrospective of Bogart's work.
Provenance
Private collection, Belgium.
25
of 25