Great painter of his generation, Olivier Debré (1920 – 1999) had a brilliant and international career, during which he crossed paths with eminent figures as well as major institutions. Born to two parents who were doctors and did not necessarily envision him pursuing an artistic career, Debré nonetheless developed a strong interest in literature from an early age, after spending his childhood painting and drawing. Passionate about philosophy, architecture, and history, he frequented Le Corbusier's studio after completing his studies.

His life is punctuated by encounters that influence him and help him grow as an artist. André Lanskoy, Hans Hartung, Gérard Schneider, Serge Poliakoff, Jean Degottex, Jean Messagier, Zao Wou-Ki, Jacques Germain, Mark Rothko, Roberto Matta, Pierre Soulages... all these great names served as guiding lights for Olivier Debré's career. However, his most significant encounter occurred when he saw Guernica for the first time; he experienced this vision as a shock, understanding early on the revolution taking place in the art world at that time, and sought to be a part of it. He began attracting attention from the public in the early 1940s, a period during which his first abstract paintings stirred the emotions of his peers. Among them was Picasso, who invited Debré to frequent his studio and became, in a sense, his mentor.

Olivier Debré is a landscapist of the soul. Passionate of the nature and countryside of Touraine, he initially painted canvases in a cubist style, then moved towards abstraction, seeking to crystallize emotion devoid of subject matter. For him, the sign should be the vehicle through which expression shines, free from any form of superfluous representation. However, as he gradually freed himself from the sign over the years, he moved closer and closer to a form of free, airy painting. In the 1960s, Debré became interested in monochrome. His flat areas were created with a knife, applied in successive layers, creating works with light, subtle, and deep relief. His palette, with soft colors ranging from deep red to pale blue, ultimately diluted until it achieved an impression of watercolor.

His painting responds to his moods and spontaneous impressions:

« À un moment donné, quelque chose se fige dans la matière même, c’est la réalité de l’émotion et c’est en moi… Il y a une espèce d’imbrication entre une atmosphère mentale et une atmosphère réelle… On est toujours en soi et hors soi… Je peins dans l’émotion d’une réalité qui m’engendre moi-même… »
– Olivier Debré


OLIVIER DEBRÉ (1920-1999)
Bavière, 1982
Oil on canvas, signed, titled, and dated on the back.
100 x 100 cm - 39 3/8 x 39/38 in.
PROVENANCE:
Private collection Paris

Incarnations of his raw emotion, Olivier Debré's works are universal because they can be understood without prior explanation. Their vibrant colors and elegant movements are characteristics that make his canvases unique even within the movement of lyrical abstraction. Indeed, despite evolving alongside great artists, Debré cultivates his uniqueness, convinced of the inherently personal aspect of artistic creation.

His paintings bear names of places, which, combined with the dominant color of the work, evoke emotion. Debré paints while traveling, and his inspiration comes directly from nature; he immerses himself in the elements and lets his environment influence his painting. However, his canvases are not necessarily painted in one go; he allows himself to revisit his works, but always in the same place and season: "The place of emotion being the color itself, the quality and spirit of the painting give a sensation that is akin to what a real landscape can evoke."
These two magnificent paintings by the artist, titled L'océan à la tache jaune from 1969, and Bavière from 1982, are particularly representative of their respective periods. One features nuanced blue tones enhanced with colorful spots, decentralizing the focal point of the subject while imparting a complex balance; the other showcases an aqueous blue stretching towards green, utilizing two raised spots from which the color seems to escape to invade the entirety of the canvas. Two works with similar hues, yet contrasting in their 13 years of production and entire stylistic universe.

From Bavière emanates a melancholic autumnal softness, as if the work had been washed out by the years, subjected to the action of the elements. The range of cold colors, combined with a very liquid paint application, recalls the art of Chinese calligraphy and what it is capable of sketching out the most complex of subjects in a few expressive lines.

L’océan à la tache jaune on the other hand, is a much more lively work. The blue no longer flows freely but is applied in large energetic patches, enhanced by warm colors that uplift the composition. It is a festive, summery artwork.

In line with his career, Olivier Debré's works are radical, innovative, but above all, always very precise. It is this precision that makes him an artist particularly appreciated by collectors today, whose canvases continue to provoke excitement.


OLIVIER DEBRÉ (1920-1999)
L'océan à la tache jaune, 1969
Oil on canvas, monogrammed and dated bottom right, countersigned, dated, and titled on the back.
100 x 100 cm - 39 3/8 x 39/38 in.
PROVENANCE:
Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
Galerie Sonia Zannettacci, Genève
Private collection, Paris

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