ROGER EDGAR GILLET
Roger Edgar Gillet was born in Paris in 1924.
Devoted himself to engraving, then to painting, initially abstract.
First personal exhibition in 1953, in Paris. Received the Fénéon prize in 1954 and the Catherwood prize in 1955 which allowed him to travel for a few months in the United States. The look of Cardinal Fernando Nino de Guevara by Greco at the Metropolitan Museum disturbs him and he returns to Paris with the feeling that he must find this presence in his painting.
Personal exhibition in 1956 at the Ariel gallery, then long collaboration with the Galerie de France which also exhibited Hartung, Manessier, Music, Pignon, Soulages, Alechinsky, Maryan. Exhibition in New York in 1961. The Galerie de France actively defends its artists: Gillet exhibits in Europe and joins the selection committee of the Salon de Mai in 57.
His painting gradually leaves abstraction, evoking an imaginary animal world. He then painted his first portraits, with suggested characters, then more expressionist: Marilyn, the Third World, the party at Pollak's. He went to Cuba in 1967 and participated in the creation of a collective fresco in Havana with his friends: Adami, Bitran, Rebeyrolle, Messagier… He exhibited in Italy, in Munich and in Brussels at the Galerie Stéphane Janssen
He works in series: Marriages of the Dwarves, Bigotes, Judges, Musicians. He exhibited with the sculptor Eugène Dodeigne at the Musée Galliéra in Paris in 1971.
He continues his research on characters and at the same time tackles new themes: Cities, Prisons and Palaces, Still lifes…
Retrospective at the National Center for Plastic Arts in Paris in 1987. He undertook the Mutants series (paintings and sculptures) which evolved into the March of the Forgotten, large paintings evoking the bicentenary of the revolution and exhibited by the Ariel Gallery at the FIAC in 1989 , Stéphane Janssen organizes two exhibitions in the USA: University of Oklahoma Museum and at the Scottsdale Arts Center (1990)
He painted maritime landscapes which, under the title “Storms and Drunken Boats”, were presented at the FIAC in 1994 by the Ariel Gallery.
In 2002, two personal exhibitions presented the abstract years: 10 major paintings from the 1950s at La Galerie Ariel and Figures Voilées at Galerie Guigon which, in 2003 at Art Paris presented works from the 1970s and following.
He died in October 2004.
The works of this major painter of the second half of the twentieth century are present in numerous fine arts museums and modern art museums. In France, in Lille, Paris, Rennes, Rouen, Saint-Rémy de Provence, Sens… And abroad, in Belgium (Brussels, Mons), Macedonia (Skopje), Norway (Oslo), Brazil (Sao Paulo)…
He continues his research on characters and simultaneously explores new themes: Cities, Prisons, and Palaces, Still lifes... Retrospective at the Centre National des Arts Plastiques in Paris in 1987. He undertakes the series of Mutants (paintings and sculptures) which evolves towards the March of the Forgotten, large paintings evoking the bicentenary of the revolution and exhibited by Galerie Ariel at the FIAC in 1989. Stéphane Janssen organizes two exhibitions in the USA: University of Oklahoma Museum and Scottsdale Center for the Arts (1990). He paints maritime landscapes which, under the title "Storms and Drunken Boats," are presented at the FIAC in 1994 by Galerie Ariel. In 2002, two solo exhibitions present the abstract years: 10 major paintings from the 1950s at Galerie Ariel and Veiled Figures at Galerie Guigon, which in 2003 at Art Paris presents under the title "the great derision" the works of the 1970s and beyond. He passed away in October 2004. The works of this major painter of the second half of the twentieth century are present in numerous fine arts museums and modern art museums. In France, in Lille, Paris, Rennes, Rouen, Saint-Rémy de Provence, Sens... And abroad, in Belgium (Brussels, Mons), Macedonia (Skopje), Norway (Oslo), Brazil (Sao Paulo)...