Pierre Soulages

Pierre Soulages

Pierre Soulages is known for his outrenoir paintings, which mean “beyond black”, as much of his artistic practice has focused on deep black as colour and anti colour. Although his influences include prehistoric and Romanesque images, he explained that he wanted to access layers of the human condition through primary colors, urgent and devoid of connotations. He is considered one of the leading figures in post-war European abstraction.

Born in 1919 in Aveyron, Soulages began his career after the Second World War.

 He turned to automatism, thick impasto. Although he uses the artistic processes of abstract expressionists, he has developed his own unique style and approach to production.