Pierre-Marie
Brisson Biography
About the Artist
Brisson is one of Europe's most talented young contemporary
artists. With simplified figures and extensive texturing, Brisson's works have
been compared to cave drawings. Their timeless appearances represent a kind of
archeological dig for the artist: he cuts, scratches and pierces the
multi-layered surfaces of his canvases to reveal his images from within the
strata of these materials. Brisson's original and graphic artworks have been the
subject of numerous gallery and museum exhibitions throughout Western Europe,
North America, and Japan.
"Brisson combines elements of our experience which we have
observed at different times and different places...yet never before at one place
and time except in his art. They include the rough surface of an ancient wall,
the cracking of old paint, the decorative pattern of wallpaper and woven fabric,
and the minimal shorthand figuration done either through the assurance of
artistic sophistication or the inherent practice of archaic beliefs."
"Brisson's art is very chic and new, yet it is also timeworn and
antique. Brisson's art is very avant-garde and ingenious, yet it is also
visually and spiritually linked to primitive sensibilities."
"In art, natural ability and raw talent are not sufficient. It
is how those skills are employed that matters most. Pierre-Marie Brisson is a
facile draftsman, a superb colorist, a master of design and composition, a
creator of richly tactile surfaces. It is not in the mere possession and
cataloging on these abilities that Brisson succeeds. But in their judicious and
balanced application that his true work as an artist emerges."
ROBERT FLYNN JOHNSON
Curator-in-Charge
The California Palace of the
Legion of Honor Achenbach Foundation for the Graphic Arts
Pierre-Marie Brisson
Born on June 11, 1955 in Orleans, France. He is the youngest of
four children. His father is a farmer and his mother works in a bookshop.
When Pierre-Marie was 14, he took an interest in painting to the
detriment of his studies. From the age of 16, he worked at various jobs from
agriculture to working in a bookshop. At this time he first met the painter
Bernard Saby who encourages him.
1975 First exhibition of his works at the Charles Péguy museum
in his hometown, Orléans.
1978 First exhibition at the Lucette Herzog gallery in Orléans.
He also visited Italy and familiarized himself with Quanto Cento, Italian
Renaissance and Etruscan art bringing back several sketches of his travels.
1979 Settled down in Paris and started carborundum etchings at
the Pasnic workshop following the procedure of Goetz used by Coignard, Clave,
Miró and Tapies. About this time he created an illustrated book with the poet
Jean-Jacques Scherrer with whom he was acquainted. He also met with James
Coignard about this time.
1980 First exhibit in New York organized by Bruno Roulland, a
publisher based in Paris who introduced and exhibited his work internationally.
He is also a good friend with the painter Jean-Claude Lemercier.
1981-2002 Exhibits regularly in France, Germany, Sweden, Japan,
the United States and Canada. See below.
Bibliography (selected)
1987 BRISSON text by Jean Audigier, Bruno Roulland
Editions.
1988 PIERRE MARIE BRISSON text by P.G. Persin
in Cimaise, N°192.
1990 PIERRE MARIE BRISSON text by
Fabrice Hergott, Séguier Editions.
1991 PIERRE MARIE
BRISSON text by Martine Arnault in Cimaise, N°214.
1995
LA TRACE PIERRE MARIE BRISSON text by Gérard Caron in Oeuvres.
1994-95 Garnier-Nocera Editions.
1997 PIERRE
MARIE BRISSON texts by Michel Butor, Michel Archimbaud, Fabrice Hergott, Michel
Archimbaud Editions.
1998 PIERRE MARIE BRISSON text by
Marc Lepape, Cahiers de la Galerie de Prêt, Médiathèque Intercommunale,
Miramas/Fos-sur-Mer.
1999 PIERRE MARIE BRISSON text by
Alexander Schwarz, Städtisches Museum Gelsenkirchen.
2000 OVERTHERE text by Marion Moulin, Rivington Gallery, London.
Exhibitions
2001 Simon
Patrich Gallery, Vancouver
2000 Yarger Arts Gallery, Los
Angeles Rivington Gallery, London Franklin Bowles Gallery, New York Franklin
Bowles Gallery, San Francisco Arténim, Galerie Pasnic Galerie Frédéric Storme,
Lille
1999 Städtisches Museum, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Galerie Arte, Dakar, Senegal Art Galerie, Ute Mronz, Köln Die Wallstrasse
Galerie, Mönchengladbach, Germany Galerie AA, Clermont-Ferrand, France Château
de Lussan, France Galerie de Bernardi, Aachen Carcan Foundation, Belgium Frank
Bowles Gallery, N.Y., San Francisco.
1998 New York Art
Fair (Simon Patrich Gallery) Galerie Thierry Spira, Paris. Galerie Couleurs du
Temps, Genève SAGA, Paris (Galerie Thierry Spira) Galerie Voigt, Nüremberg
Galerie Kühn, Berlin Chapelle des Capucins, Aigues Mortes Franklin Bowles
Gallery, New York Yarger Gallery, Los Angeles Médiathèque de Miramas, France
Galerie Lucien Schweitzer, Luxembourg Galerie La Cour des Arts, Belfort Editions
Terminus, München, Germany
1997 Simon Patrich Gallery,
Vancouver, B.C. Faure Museum, Aix les Bains. Galerie Thierry Spira, Paris.
Galerie Raphael, Frankfurt. Bowles Gallery, New York, San Francisco. Bowles
Yarger Gallery, Los Angeles. Galerie Couleurs du Temps, Geneva. Galerie
Sundermann, Würzburg Galerie Schweitzer, Luxembourg Musée Faure, Aix-les-Bains
Espace Ecureuil, Marseille Galerie Horizon, Marseille Galerie Avantgarde,
Manheim Galerie Raphaël, Frankfort Franklin Bowles Gallery, New York ; San
Francisco Yarger Gallery, Los Angeles Galerie Couleurs du Temps, Geneve,
Switzerland Casino, Vals-les-Bains, France
1996 Bowles
Gallery, New York. Salon de Mars, Paris. Salon International d'Art Contemporain,
Strasbourg. Chapelle des Capucins, Aigues Mortes Franklin Bowles Gallery, New
York Yarger Gallery, Los Angeles
1995 Simon Patrich
Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. Galerie Petra Pfeiffer, Würzburg, Germany. Galerie
Lucette Herzog, Paris, France. Galerie Raphael, Frankfurt, Germany. Galerie
Thierry Spira, Paris, France. International Biennial for Graphics Arts,
Ljubljana, Slovénie Bowles-Sorokko Gallery, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco
1994 Galerie Thierry Spira, Paris, France. SAGA, Grand
Palais, Paris (bronze sculptures). International d' Art, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany. Galerie Raphaël, Frankfort Bowles-Sorokko Gallery,
New York, San Francisco Galerie Médicis, Besançon
1993
Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. Galerie de Hesdin, Paris, France.
Saga, Grand Palais, Paris, France. William Turner Gallery, Los Angeles Int.
Hyatt Hotel, Tokyo; British International Hotel, Kyoto Bowles-Sorokko Gallery,
New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco
1992 Simon Patrich
Gallery, Vancouver, Canada. ART/ L.A. William Turner Gallery, Venice. Chicago
International Art Exhibition. Galerie Lucette Herzog, Paris, France.
Bowles-Sorokko Gallery, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco Galerie Platform,
Beirut ART/LA, William Turner Gallery Chicago International Art Exposition,
Venice SAGA, Paris
1991 Galerie de Menton, Paris,
France. Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver. Opera de Rouen. Ashiya Gallery, Tokyo,
Japan. George Pompidou Centre, Paris, France. Galerie de Hesdin, Paris SAGA,
Paris (Galerie Lucette Herzog) Bowles-Sorokko Gallery, Los Angeles, San
Francisco
1990 Bowles-Sorokko Gallery, Los Angeles
Galerie Lucette Herzog, Paris Simon Patrich Gallery, Vancouver Travelling
exhibit in Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, and Kyoto
Commissions
1991
Fresco, show room Lecoanet-Hemant, Paris. CD cover: The man from Barcelona, Tete
Montoliu Trio, Japan.
1993 Fresco, San Francisco.
Artistic adviser for the feature film Les bois transparents by Pierre Sullice,
France 2-FR3 Productions.
1994 CD cover: Hekma by Khalil
Chahine. Edition of a stamp (accessions Post Museum, National Library). Master
class Le chemin des gestes, University of San Francisco.
1998 Illustrations of books cover, Editions Sindbad-Actes Sud. Fresco
with the children of primary school in Saint-Laurent d'Aigouze. Poster for the
festival Les Nuits d'Encens, Aigues-Mortes. Two lithographs for the collection
Novotel-Accor.
1999 Artwork for the "Prix d'Amérique".
Illustrations and New Year greetings card for UNESCO Editions.
Collections
Museum of
Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Jewish Museum, New York
Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Achenbach
Foundation, San Francisco
National Library, Paris
University of San Francisco
Carré Noir Comp., Paris
Post Museum, Paris
Cartier Group, Paris
Societe
Generale Bank, Paris
Art and History Museum, Belfort
Faure Museum, Aix-les-Bains
Lecoanet Hemant Haute Couture, Paris
