Camille BRYEN - Abstract landscape, 1956 - Original signed etching

Camille Bryen : (1907-1977) is the artist name of Camille Briand, born in Nantes in 1907 and who died in Paris in 1977. He is a french painter, engraver, and poet, of the Nouvelle École de Paris, and belongs to the artistic movements of the Lyrical abstraction, and tachism. In the years 1925-1927, Camille Briand is part of the Nantes "bohème", using the pseudonym "Aristide". He settled soon in Paris. Attracted by the Surrealists, he published in 1927 a collection of poems, Opopanax, and then in 1932 "Experiences", mixing poems, drawings and collages. He presented in 1934 his first personal exhibition and made in 1936 his first "tachist" painting. Bryen cosigned the « manifeste dimensioniste » of Charles Sirato, with Jean Arp, Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia. With Raoul Ubac, he put up posters made of poems and images. Notably, he is the author of the slogan "Défense d'interdire" (Forbidden to Forbid), which was used in 1968 by the parisian demonstrators. In 1948, Camille Bryen organised the first exhibition of lyrical abstraction, to which took part Hans Hartung, Wols, Gérard Schneider and Georges Mathieu. He then started engraving, and in 1949 began oil painting. Starting from the 1950's, Camille Bryen regularly presented personal exhibitions in France and abroad, and participated to numerous salons, biennales, collective exhibitions. He is part of the painters that were gathered for the big exhibition "L'Envolée Lyrique, Paris 1945-1956", at the Musée du Luxembourg in 2006.