Pierre Tal-Coat
Encyclopedia
Pierre Tal-Coat was a French artist considered to be one of the founders of Tachisme
.
, Finistère
in 1905. He attended primary school from 1912 to 1914. In 1915, during World War I, his father was killed in fighting at the Argonne
front. Apprenticed as a blacksmith in 1918, he began designing and sculpting and was rewarded with a national scholarship and entered the Upper primary school at Quimperlé
. He started his working life as clerk to a notary
in 1923 in Arzano
. In 1924, he found work as a decorator at the Keraluc porcelain
factory in Quimper in 1924, creating characters and landscapes of the Brittany
countryside.
Arriving in Paris in 1924, Tal-Coat modelled for the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere
, was a moulder at the Manufacture de Sèvres and met with the painter Émile Compard. In 1925 and 1926 he fulfilled his military service in Paris in the cuirassier
s. He met Auguste Fabre and Henri Bénézit and exhibited in their gallery under the name of Tal-Coat (Wood Face in Breton
) which he used all his life to avoid homonymy with the poet Max Jacob
. Back in Paris in 1930, after a stay back home in Brittany from 1927 to 1929, he mixed with such notables as Francis Gruber
, André Marchand
, Gertrude Stein
, Francis Picabia
, Ernest Hemingway
, Giacometti, Balthus
, Artaud, Tzara and Paul-Émile Victor
. From 1932 he was a member of the "Forces Nouvelles". In 1936, he protested against the Spanish Civil War
with his “Massacres” series.
He was conscripted into the army in 1939 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
and later Ermenonville
and demobilized in 1940 in Montauban
. Setting himself up in Aix-en-Provence
, which had become the refuge of many artists, including André Marchand, Charles Albert Cingria and Cendrars, he participated in the exhibition "Twenty young painters of French tradition" organized by Jean Bazaine in 1941 and later exhibited at the Galerie de France in 1943. Returning to Paris in 1945, he participated in the first exhibition of the Salon de Mai
. He returned the following year to Aix, staying at the Chateau Noir, where Cézanne
stayed when painting at Tholonet
and met André Masson
, philosopher Henri Maldiney and the poet André du Bouchet
who became his close friends. His paintings by now had become non-figurative.
Along with the artists of the new School of Paris, the Galerie de France (from 1943 to 1965), the Galerie Maeght (from 1954 to 1974), Benador (from 1970 to 1980), the HM gallery, the Clivage gallery and the Berthet-Aittouarès gallery all regularly exhibited his paintings. In 1956 six of his paintings were shown at the Venice Biennale with those of Jacques Villon
and Bernard Buffet
. In 1963 he collaborated alongside Joan Miró
and Ubac in creation the of the Maeght foundation. He designed a wall mosaic for the entrance in 1968 and received the Grand Prix National des Arts. A large retrospective exhibition devoted to his work, was held at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1976.
building at Saint-Pierre-de-Bailleul
near Vernon
in Normandy. He died there in the summer of 1985.
Book illustrations include the following authors:
Tachisme
Tachisme is a French style of abstract painting popular in the 1940s and 1950s. It is often considered to be the European equivalent to abstract expressionism...
.
Life and work
He was born the son of a fisherman, in the village of Clohars-CarnoëtClohars-Carnoët
Clohars-Carnoët is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.-Population:Inhabitants of Clohars-Carnoët are called in French Cloharsiens.-References:** ;-External links:*...
, Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
in 1905. He attended primary school from 1912 to 1914. In 1915, during World War I, his father was killed in fighting at the Argonne
Forest of Argonne
The Forest of Argonne is a long strip of rocky mountain and wild woodland in north-eastern France.In 1792 Charles François Dumouriez outmaneuvered the invading forces of the Duke of Brunswick in the forest before the Battle of Valmy....
front. Apprenticed as a blacksmith in 1918, he began designing and sculpting and was rewarded with a national scholarship and entered the Upper primary school at Quimperlé
Quimperlé
Quimperlé is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.-Geography:Quimperlé is in the southeast of Finistère, 20 km to the sest of Lorient and 44 km to the east of Quimper...
. He started his working life as clerk to a notary
Civil law notary
Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers with the authentication power of the State...
in 1923 in Arzano
Arzano
Arzano is a comune in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 9 km north of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 37,994 and an area of 4.68 km²....
. In 1924, he found work as a decorator at the Keraluc porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
factory in Quimper in 1924, creating characters and landscapes of the Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
countryside.
Arriving in Paris in 1924, Tal-Coat modelled for the Académie de la Grande Chaumiere
Académie de la Grande Chaumière
The Académie de la Grande Chaumière is an art school in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France. The school was founded in 1902 by the Swiss Martha Stettler , who refused to teach the strict academic rules of painting of the École des Beaux-Arts. It opened the way to the "Art Indépendant"...
, was a moulder at the Manufacture de Sèvres and met with the painter Émile Compard. In 1925 and 1926 he fulfilled his military service in Paris in the cuirassier
Cuirassier
Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...
s. He met Auguste Fabre and Henri Bénézit and exhibited in their gallery under the name of Tal-Coat (Wood Face in Breton
Breton language
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...
) which he used all his life to avoid homonymy with the poet Max Jacob
Max Jacob
Max Jacob was a French poet, painter, writer, and critic.-Life and career:After spending his childhood in Quimper, Brittany, France, he enrolled in the Paris Colonial School, which he left in 1897 for an artistic career...
. Back in Paris in 1930, after a stay back home in Brittany from 1927 to 1929, he mixed with such notables as Francis Gruber
Francis Gruber
Francis Gruber was a French painter and founder of the Nouveau Réalisme school.He was born in Nancy, the son of stained glass artist Jacques Gruber....
, André Marchand
André Marchand (painter)
André Marchand was a French painter of the new Paris school and one of the founder members of the Salon de Mai.-Life:Marchand was born at Aix-en-Provence, a few months after the death of Paul Cézanne; in 1918 he lost his mother...
, Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France.-Early life:...
, Francis Picabia
Francis Picabia
Francis Picabia was a French painter, poet, and typographist, associated with both the Dada and Surrealist art movements.- Early life :...
, Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
, Giacometti, Balthus
Balthus
Balthasar Klossowski de Rola , best known as Balthus, was an esteemed but controversial Polish-French modern artist....
, Artaud, Tzara and Paul-Émile Victor
Paul-Émile Victor
Paul-Émile Victor was a French ethnologist and explorer.Victor was born in Geneva, Switzerland. He graduated from École Centrale de Lyon in 1928. In 1934, he participated in an expedition traversing Greenland...
. From 1932 he was a member of the "Forces Nouvelles". In 1936, he protested against the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
with his “Massacres” series.
He was conscripted into the army in 1939 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
and later Ermenonville
Ermenonville
Ermenonville is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.Ermenonville is notable for its park named for Jean-Jacques Rousseau by René Louis de Girardin...
and demobilized in 1940 in Montauban
Montauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
. Setting himself up in Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, which had become the refuge of many artists, including André Marchand, Charles Albert Cingria and Cendrars, he participated in the exhibition "Twenty young painters of French tradition" organized by Jean Bazaine in 1941 and later exhibited at the Galerie de France in 1943. Returning to Paris in 1945, he participated in the first exhibition of the Salon de Mai
Salon de Mai
The Salon de Mai is a French group of artists which formed in a café in place du Palais Royal in Paris in October 1943 during the German occupation of France. It was founded in opposition to Nazi ideology and its condemnation of degenerate art...
. He returned the following year to Aix, staying at the Chateau Noir, where Cézanne
Paul Cézanne
Paul Cézanne was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th century conception of artistic endeavour to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne can be said to form the bridge between late 19th...
stayed when painting at Tholonet
Le Tholonet
Le Tholonet is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Tholonétiens.-Geography:...
and met André Masson
André Masson
André-Aimé-René Masson was a French artist.-Biography:Masson was born in Balagny-sur-Thérain, Oise, but was brought up in Belgium. He began his study of art at the age of eleven in Brussels, at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts under the guidance of Constant Montald, and later he studied in Paris...
, philosopher Henri Maldiney and the poet André du Bouchet
André du Bouchet
André du Bouchet was a French poet.- Biography :Born in Paris, he lived in France until 1941, when his family left occupied Europe for the United States. He studied at Amherst College and then at Harvard University . After teaching for a year, he returned to France...
who became his close friends. His paintings by now had become non-figurative.
Along with the artists of the new School of Paris, the Galerie de France (from 1943 to 1965), the Galerie Maeght (from 1954 to 1974), Benador (from 1970 to 1980), the HM gallery, the Clivage gallery and the Berthet-Aittouarès gallery all regularly exhibited his paintings. In 1956 six of his paintings were shown at the Venice Biennale with those of Jacques Villon
Jacques Villon
Jacques Villon was a French cubist painter and printmaker.-Early life:Born Gaston Emile Duchamp in Damville, Eure, in the Haute-Normandie region of France, he came from a prosperous and artistically inclined family...
and Bernard Buffet
Bernard Buffet
Bernard Buffet was a French painter of Expressionism and Member of the Anti-Abstract Art Group "L'homme Témoin [the Witness-Man]".-Life and work:...
. In 1963 he collaborated alongside Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
and Ubac in creation the of the Maeght foundation. He designed a wall mosaic for the entrance in 1968 and received the Grand Prix National des Arts. A large retrospective exhibition devoted to his work, was held at the Grand Palais in Paris in 1976.
Death
In 1961, Tal-Coat bought the Dormont CarthusianCarthusian
The Carthusian Order, also called the Order of St. Bruno, is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monastics. The order was founded by Saint Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns...
building at Saint-Pierre-de-Bailleul
Saint-Pierre-de-Bailleul
Saint-Pierre-de-Bailleul is a commune in the Eure department in Haute-Normandie in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
near Vernon
Vernon, Eure
Vernon is a commune in the department of Eure in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.It lies on the banks of the Seine River, about midway between Paris and Rouen...
in Normandy. He died there in the summer of 1985.
Works
Tal-Coat worked in a number of series, notably:- 1936-1937 : Séries des Massacres (Spanish Civil War)
- 1938-1939 : Séries de Paysages (Bretagne, Bourgogne,Île de France)
- 1942 : Séries de 'Natures mortes
- 1945-1946 : Séries des Poissons et des Aquariums'
- 1946 : Séries des Mouvements d'eau et des Rochers
- 1952-1953 : Séries des Passages et des Signes
- 1958 : Séries des Lignes de pierre et de silex, des Troupeaux et des Vols
- 1961 : Séries des Colzas et des Coquelicots
- 1983 : Séries des Portraits d'oiseaux
- 1984 : Séries des Sols
Book illustrations include the following authors:
- André du Bouchet (Cette surface, 1956; Sur le pas, 1959; Laisses, 1975; Où le soleil, 1978; Sous le linteau en forme de joug, 1978; Une tache, 1988; Deux traces vertes, 1991),
- Pierre Schneider (Traverse d'un plateau, 1963),
- Pierre Torreilles (Espace déluté, 1974),
- Philippe Jaccottet (A travers un verger, 1975),
- Claude Esteban (Veilleurs aux confins, 1978),
- Maurice Blanchot (Le Dernier à parler, 1984),
- Yves Peyré (Le Lointain foyer du jour, 1984), Pierre Lecuire (Bestiaire, 1985),
- Jacques ChessexJacques ChessexJacques Chessex was a Swiss author and painter.-Biography :Chessex was born in 1934 in Payerne. From 1951 to 1953, he studied in St-Michel College in Fribourg, before undertaking literature studies in Lausanne. In 1953, he co-founded the literary review Pays du Lac in Pully...
(La Bête de Tal Coat, 1998; Sur une gravure de Tal-Coat, 1998).