Georges Mathieu was born at Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais) in 1921. Mathieu studied literature and philosophy at Lille University before switching to art at the age of twenty-one. He taught English at Douai High School and French at the American University of Biarritz. After an interest in realistic landscapes and portraits, Mathieu developed a distinctive Abstract Expressionist style, which grew out of an emotionally driven, improvised and intuitive act of painting. In 1946 his first exhibition was presented at VI Salon de moins de 30 ans at the Galerie des Beaux Arts in Paris. His first personal exhibition was in 1950 at the Galerie René Drouin. In 1947 Mathieu worked with Camille Bryen to organize a tachist-oriented exhibition, which he designated as 'non-figuration physique'. His painting, defined 'lyrical abstractions', goes beyond traditional and formal constraints of regulative systems, placing Mathieu with Fautrier and Dubuffet as an important exponent of French Informel, as defined by the French art critic Tapiè. Up to 1951, Mathieu continued to organize group shows to demonstrate his interest in Jackson Pollock's spontaneous gestural handling of paint. In those years he, among his numerous exhibitions, organized an event to show the difference between American and European painting styles at the Montparnasse Gallery.His artworks were appreciated internationally and exposed in London and New York. His first paintings were defined tachists by critics because of the artist's use of lumps of color (tache, in fact, means stain) directly applied on canvas. His works are apparently confused but they all have a central axis from which curves and lines develop in a planned way.In 1950 his projects were no more focused on signs but on painting gestures and quickness. His painting was intuitive and irrational. From 1954 Mathieu staged the painting of large-scale works as theatrical events, culminating in utilizing 800 tubes of paint to create a painting measuring 4 x 12 meters in front of an audience of 2000 at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt in 1956. Somewhere between Happening and Action Painting, Mathieu succeeded in producing a decoratively linear painting, reminiscent of calligraphy. Mathieu continued to perform his Action Paintings throughout Europe and Japan. He went to Japan together with Tapié to meet the Gutai Group. There he executed a kimono performance during an action-painting show. During this event he also realized 21 artworks and among these we find a 15 m painting. Mathieu's works were shown at special exhibitions in Paris and New York in 1950 and 1952. He participated in numerous international exhibitions, including Documenta II in 1959. In the early 1960s Mathieu also created sculptures and designed furnitures, tapestries and frescoes. In 1975 he was elected a member of Arts Academy in Paris and in 1986 he exposed his works at Biennale di Venezia.Georges Mathieu was defined the founder of Tachism, and art theorist in the essay “Au-delà du Tachisme”. He also composed essays on architecture, furniture and typography.
2025
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu. Geste, Vitesse, Mouvement”, Monnaie de Paris, Parigi
COLLETTIVE
“Graffiti x Georges Mathieu. Geste, vitesse, mouvement”, Monnaie de Paris, Parigi
2024
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu”, Long Museum West Bund, Shanghai
2023
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu, œuvres sur papier”, Perrotin, Parigi
COLLETTIVE
“Éloge de l’abstraction – Les peintres de l’Académie des beaux-arts dans les collections de la Fondation Gandur pour l’Art”, Pavillon Comtesse de Caen, Parigi
2022
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu, L’Usine Étoile et autres défis”, Historial de la Vendée, Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne
2021
PERSONALI
“Calligraphy Rhapsody: Retrospective Exhibition of Georges Mathieu”, K11 Art & Cultural Centre, Hong Kong
“Georges Mathieu”, Perrotin & Nahmad Contemporary, New York
2019
PERSONALI
“Monumental Paintings”, Nahmad Contemporary, New York
“Georges Mathieu, 1983–1991”, Perrotin, Hong Kong
“Georges Mathieu”, Perrotin, Frieze Masters, Londra
COLLETTIVE
“Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection”, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
2018
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu”, Galerie Templon, Parigi
COLLETTIVE
“Les années 1960 et 1970”, Galerie Daniel Templon, Parigi
“Le grand Œil de Michel Tapié”, Galerie Applicat-Prazan, Parigi
2017
COLLETTIVE
“Le geste et la matière, une abstraction « autre », Paris, 1945–1965”, Centre Pompidou / Fondation Clément, Martinica
2016
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu”, Galleria Dellupi Arte, Milano
COLLETTIVE
“Hartung et les peintres lyriques”, Fonds Hélène et Édouard Leclerc pour la Culture, Landerneau
2014
COLLETTIVE
“Georges Mathieu, vers l’Abstraction Lyrique”, Château-Musée de Boulogne-sur-Mer, Boulogne-sur-Mer
2013
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu”, Galerie Mucciaccia, Roma
2011
PERSONALI
“Georges Mathieu, huiles et aquarelles”, Galerie du Centre culturel français de Milan, Milano
“Georges Mathieu, 1948–1969”, Galleria Agnellini Arte Moderna, Brescia
2009
PERSONALI
“Mathieu, peintures et gouaches 1949–1979”, Galerie Bailly Contemporain, Parigi
2008
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“Pensieri Ordinati”, Bonioni Arte, Reggio Emilia
“Estetika. Forma & segno. Da Renoir a De Chirico”, Villa Ponti, Fondazione Art Museo, Arona
2007
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“Nel segno della materia”, Palazzo De Sanctis, Castellalto (TE) “Sei mostre in contemporanea”, Satura, Palazzo Stella, Genoa “Liberi Segni”, Galleria Biasutti & Biasutti, Turin
2003
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galleria Credito Valtellinese, Milan
1999
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“Posizioni. Museiondocumenta 1999: opera dalla collezione”, Bolzen
1991
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galleria arte 92, Milan
1990
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galleria d'arte Elleni, Bergamo
Stockholm Art Fair, Stockholm
1989
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galleria dello scudo, Verona
Ermitage, San Pietroburgo
Centro Culturale Sant'Andrea, Savona
Galleria Art Valley, Forte dei Marmi
Grand Palais, Paris
1988
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galleria Narciso, Turin
Galleria De Crescenzo, Rome
Huber Gallery, Zurich
1987
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Findlay Gallery, New York
Galleria La Loggia, Bologna
Galleria De Crescenzo, Rome
1984
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Hôtel Meridien, Singapor
1980
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Art Basel, Basel
Musée de la Poste, Paris
1979
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Dominion Gallery, Montreal
Wildestein, New York
1978
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Grand Palais, Paris
Festival d'Art Lyrique, Aix-en-Provence
1977
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galeria Punto, Valencia
Galeria Valera, Bilbao
Kursaal, Ostenda
Festival International, Istanbul
1976
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Musée Picasso, Antibes
Galeria Beaubourg, Barcelona
1974
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galerie Beaubourg, Paris
1973
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Opera, Berlin
1972
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Art Center, Beirut
1971
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galerie Stadler, Paris
Lalikata Academy, New Dehli
1967
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galerie Argos, Nantes
Kustverein, Colonia
Musée National d'Art Modern, Paris
1966
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nantes
1965
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Gimpel & Hanover, Zurich
Court Gallery, Copenaghen
K. B. Gallery, Oslo
Galleria il Milione, Milan
1963
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris
Galerie Art et Culture, Gèneve
1962
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Bezalel Museum, Jerusalem
Neue Galerie in Künstler-haus, München
Galleria La Bussola, Turin
Galleria l'Ariete, Milan
Galleria La Loggia, Bologna
Museum of Art, Tel Aviv
1961
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Presidential Palace, Beirut
1960
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Museu de Arte, São Paolo
Ateneo, Madrid
New London Gallery, London
Galleria del Cavallino, Venice
1959
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Kunstverein, Colonia
Galleria San Babila, Milan
Haus Lange Museum, Krefeld
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Neuchâtel
Musée de l'Athénee, Géneve
Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro
Bonino Gallery, Buenos Aires
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“Karel Appel, Georges Mathieu, Mattia Moreni, Jean-Paul Riopelle”, Kunsthalle, Basel
1958
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Schmela Gallery, Düsseldorf
Art Latin Gallery, Stoccolma
Galerie Grange, Lion
Chichio Haller Gallery, Zurich
Kunstmuseum, Basel
Galleria Castelnuovo, Ascona
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lièges
1957
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Bruxelles
Shirokiya Gallery, Tokyo
Daimaru Gallery, Osaka
Galleria del Naviglio, Milan
Galerie Helios Art, Bruxelles
Galleria Selecta, Rome
1956
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galerie Pierre, Paris
Institute of Contemporary Art, London
1955
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Alexander Iolas Gallery, New York
1954
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Kootz Gallery, New york
Galerie Rive Droite, Paris
Art Club, Chicago
1953
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galerie Marcel Evrard, Lille
1952
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Studio Paul Facchetti, Paris
Stable Gallery, New York
1951
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
"Véhémences Confrontées", Galerie Dausset, Paris
1950
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Galerie Renè Drouin, Paris
1948
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
"H.W.P.S.M.T.B” Galerie Colette Allendy, Paris
1947
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“Salon des Réalités Nouvelles”, Paris
“L'imaginaire” Galerie du Luxembourg, Paris
1946
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
“VI Salon de moins de 30 ans”, Galleria des Beaux Arts, Paris