Jean-Pierre Pincemin French, 1944-2005
Jean-Pierre Pincemin developed a body of work that interrogates the fundamental elements of painting: canvas, color, material, and structure. Associated with the Supports/Surfaces movement in the early 1970s, he challenged the traditional form of the painting, notably by working with canvases that were dyed, cut, assembled, or printed.
His early explorations relied on simple, repetitive processes through which he investigated the relationships between chance, gesture, and organization. Gradually, his work shifted toward more structured, geometric compositions, while still placing great importance on color variations and the physical qualities of the material.
Pincemin subsequently moved freely between abstraction and figuration, as well as between painting, sculpture, and printmaking. This diversity reflects an ongoing exploration of the work's potential for transformation and the relationship between construction and perception.
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Jean-Pierre PinceminJean-Pierre et Saint-Pierre, 1992Aquatint on paper99.3 x 69.7 cm (39 1/8 x 27 ½ in.)Signed -
Jean-Pierre PinceminMoïse et Saint-Pierre, 1992Aquatint on paper99.3 x 69.7 cm (39 1/8 x 27 ½ in.)N° 4/50Signed, numbered and dated
Jean-Pierre Pincemin was born in Paris in 1944 and died in Arcueil in 2005; he was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker.
He began his professional life as a lathe operator in the precision engineering industry.
He discovered painting as a self-taught artist, notably by frequenting the Louvre and Parisian galleries; it was not until the 1960s that he devoted himself entirely to art.
He created his first sculptures and paintings by experimenting with abstract forms. In the late 1960s, he used everyday materials and objects, transferring their imprints onto unstretched canvases. In doing so, he challenged the traditional elements that constitute a painting and its materiality.
In 1969, he helped organize the exhibition "La peinture en question" in Paris alongside Claude Viallat. He subsequently joined the Supports/Surfaces group in 1971, leaving it in 1973. During this period, he notably created works using dyed, cut, assembled, or printed canvases, before moving toward large-format geometric compositions.
From the mid-1970s onwards, Pincemin continued his exploration of color, materiality, and the structure of painting, while regularly renewing his artistic vocabulary.
Throughout his career, he also practiced printmaking and sculpture.