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Lot Essay
Hervé Télémaque naît à Port-au-Prince, en 1937. En 1957, il quitte Haïti pour New York où il étudie jusqu’en 1960. Durant son séjour aux États-Unis, il s’est simultanément inspiré de l’expressionnisme abstrait et du surréalisme tel qu’il a été réinterprété et exploité par les artistes américains, notamment sous l’influence d’Arshile Gorky. Il va également puiser son inspiration dans le Pop’Art. En 1961 il s’installe à Paris, où il rencontre des membres du groupe surréaliste et participe à la fameuse exposition Mythologies quotidiennes (1964) qui lance la figuration narrative. Il partagera l’aventure de ce mouvement aux côtés d’artistes comme Bernard Rancillac ou Jacques Monory. Il participera notamment à l’exposition sur la Figuration Narrative au Grand Palais en 2008. Il utilise un langage très particulier et reconnaissable dans ses toiles s’inspirant de la bande dessinée ou des images publicitaires et n’hésitant pas à prendre des engagements politiques en utilisant des symboles forts. Il utilise également des matériaux très divers et fait usage du collage et de l’assemblage d’objets. Plusieurs rétrospectives lui seront consacrées, notamment au Centre Pompidou en 2015, mais également à l’étranger et une toile de 1962 a tout récemment rejoint les collections du MoMA.
Hervé Télémaque was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1937. In 1957, he left Haiti for New York, where he completed his studies in 1960. During his time in the United States, he was simultaneously influenced by abstract expressionism and by American artists’ interpretation of Surrealism, led by Arshile Gorky. He also drew inspiration from Pop Art. In 1961, he moved to Paris, where he met members of the Surrealist group and participated in the famed Mythologies quotidiennes exhibition (1964), which marked the beginnings of the narrative figurative art movement. The movement was an adventure that he embarked upon with artists like Bernard Rancillac and Jacques Monory. Of particular note was his participation in the 2008 exhibition on Figuration Narrative at the Grand Palais. He employs a language that is uniquely his and immediately recognisable in his works. The artist drew from comic strips and ads, and had no qualms about using strong symbolism to express his political views. He also used a range of materials, working with collage and assemblage. His work was featured in several retrospectives, including at the Centre Pompidou in 2015 and abroad, and one of his 1962 paintings has recently entered the MoMA collection.
Hervé Télémaque was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1937. In 1957, he left Haiti for New York, where he completed his studies in 1960. During his time in the United States, he was simultaneously influenced by abstract expressionism and by American artists’ interpretation of Surrealism, led by Arshile Gorky. He also drew inspiration from Pop Art. In 1961, he moved to Paris, where he met members of the Surrealist group and participated in the famed Mythologies quotidiennes exhibition (1964), which marked the beginnings of the narrative figurative art movement. The movement was an adventure that he embarked upon with artists like Bernard Rancillac and Jacques Monory. Of particular note was his participation in the 2008 exhibition on Figuration Narrative at the Grand Palais. He employs a language that is uniquely his and immediately recognisable in his works. The artist drew from comic strips and ads, and had no qualms about using strong symbolism to express his political views. He also used a range of materials, working with collage and assemblage. His work was featured in several retrospectives, including at the Centre Pompidou in 2015 and abroad, and one of his 1962 paintings has recently entered the MoMA collection.