André Minaux | Abstract painter

French painter André Minaux [1923-1986] was an drawer, lithographer of figures, still lifes and landscapes, engraver, illustrator, sculptor, who began as one of the post-war group of young French artists interested in a certain return to realism. He is considered as a 20th century painter belonging to «la Nouvelle École de Paris».

Born in Paris. Studied at the École des Arts Décoratifs 1941-5 under Brianchon.

First one-man exhibition at the Galerie des Impressions d'Art, Paris, 1946. Awarded the Prix de la Critique 1949. Exhibited in 1949 and 1950 with the group 'Homme témoin', which also included Lorjou, Buffet and Rebeyrolle.

His early paintings mostly in sombre, earthy pigments and with expressionistic simplifications, of figures or still life in his studio, dead animals in butchers' shops, etc., followed by scenes of rural life and landscape in brighter colours.

Has made over 300 lithographs and illustrated a number of books, including Barbey d'Aurevilly's L'Ensorcelée 1955 and Jules Renard's Les Philippes 1958.

Partly through his friendship with Beaudin and Estève, and his admiration for Léger, his work developed away from naturalism in the early 1960s, and became more stylised and colourful; enigmatic women in interiors became a favourite theme.

In the same style were a number of townscapes, such as Landscape of Toury Ferrotes, and such still-lifes as Armchair in an Interior.

He also made lithographs to illustrate books. In the 1970s he concentrated on the theme of women in interiors in a series of coloured etchings, where the forms were flattened and abstracted. Also in the 1970s he made etchings of still-lifes mainly depicting elements taken from the artist's studio, as in Two Palettes.