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Abstract cycles
Although it may not seem to be the case in a photograph, Dubuffet's work lies somewhere on the transition between painting and sculpture.This abstract work has been created by applying vinyl paints onto a layered carved panel. Dubuffet was an extremely competent painter, sculptor and what the French call plasticien. He also spent much of his time writing extensively on art and its place in contemporary society. His life's work can be quite clearly divided into distinct cycles and periods, all identified by the artist himself. Elément Historié is a very important work painted in 1974, at the end of Dubuffet's period known as 'Roman burlesque, Sites tricolores 1971-1974'.

Raw Art
Jean Dubuffet was the pioneer of Art Brut (Raw Art), a movement of bringing together miscellaneous works of various media which had been created by non-professional artists such as asylum inmates and children. During Dubuffet's longest period, 'Hourloupe', he develops a new technique where he cuts out all complex colours from his compositions and resorts to colours which are attached the industrial universe - blue, black, red, white. He uses vinyl paint, ballpoint-pen and marker for they are fast and precise instruments used by industrial designers.The cellular structure and methodical stripes are also a reference to technical drawing and graphic design.

Art and Industry
In 1967, Claude Renard, founder of the Renault Collection of Contemporary Art, from 1965 to 1985, started collaborating closely with a number of living artists to assemble the first French corporate art collection. Jean Dubuffet stepped in to help Claude Renard with the project, entitled 'Recherches, Art et Industrie'. Assisted by his wife Micheline, Claude Renard also began a collection of his own.This particular work was commissioned by Claude for his private Paris apartment.