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The Gastronome (Le Gastronome)

The Gastronome (Le Gastronome)

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Pierre Alechinsky

Alexander and Henrietta Hollaender gave the museum a large collection of works by members of CoBrA, a vigorous group of artists who derived the acronym from their native cities of Copenhagen, Brussels, Amsterdam. The founders met in Paris in 1948 at a conference of surrealists. These artists issued a manifesto and exhibited together until 1951. CoBrA artists also drew inspiration from the art of children and the insane and native folk traditions; their work emphasizes spontaneity, vibrant—even harsh—color, and flamboyant brushwork. Pierre Alechinsky was trained as a book illustrator. Le Gastronome (1981.246), painted well after the CoBrA years, is childlike, imaginative, fantastic, filled with strange animals and people that appear to come directly from the subconscious mind.
Artist
Pierre Alechinsky
(Belgian, b. 1927)
Title
The Gastronome (Le Gastronome)
Date
1962
Medium
Watercolor on paper with lacquer coating mounted on board prepared with gesso
Dimensions
37 1/2 x 28 1/4 in. Overall
Credit
Gift of Alexander and Henrietta W. Hollaender
Accession No.
1981.246
Classification
Paintings
Geography
Belgium

Related

1962, sold by Lefebre Gallery (New York, NY) to Alexander and Henrietta W. Hollaender (Oak Ridge, TN and Washington, DC); 1981, gifted to the Elvehjem Museum of Art [now called Chazen Museum of Art]

  • Elvehjem Art Center. "Inaugural Exhibition: 19th & 20th Century Art from Collections of Alumni & Friends." Madison, WI: Regents of the University of Wisconsin, 1970. p. 121, no. 153
  • Elvehjem Museum of Art. "CoBrA: The Hollaender Collection" [exhibition cat]. Madison: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 1981. p. 29, no. 8
  • Jacques Putman, "Alechinsky," Paris: Odege, 1967. no. 114

  • CoBrA: The Hollaender Collection: Elvehjem Museum of Art, 5/31/1981–7/25/1981
  • Inaugural Exhibition: 19th & 20th Cen. Art from Collection of Alumni & Friends: Elvehjem Art Center, 9/11/1970–11/8/1970
  • Pierre Alechinsky: The Arts Club of Chicago, 2/26/1965–6/27/1965
  • Pierre Alechinsky: The Arts Club of Chicago, 2/26/1965–3/27/1965

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