Salon du Dessin 2026: Palais Brogniart (Place de la Bourse 75002 Paris)

Opened in 2009 next to the Picasso Museum in Paris, in the heart of the Marais district, the Galerie Jean-François Cazeau is both the heir to a brilliant tradition started by his uncle Philippe Cazeau and representative of a desire for emancipation. It builds bridges between the Modern Masters and post-war art on both sides of the Atlantic, while opening up to contemporary art. For its very first participation in the Salon du Dessin, the gallery is presenting an exhibition that highlights the variations in work on paper in the 20th century. Works by Pablo Picasso, Zao Wou-Ki, Amedeo Modigliani, André Masson, and Pierre Soulages will be featured.

In line with its curatorial focus, the gallery will offer a selection of works illustrating its specialty: the Impressionist and Modern masters. This exhibition will explore, through an expanded collection, the different aesthetics expressed through Surrealism and post-war abstract movements. The collection aims to highlight the formal connections and ruptures that mark the evolution of artistic modernity, while reaffirming the gallery's commitment to placing its work within a cross-disciplinary reading of 20th-century art history.

Focus on two major artists of the 20th century : This year's selection will highlight two artists with a long history with the gallery: André Masson and Pablo Picasso. The centerpiece of Pablo Picasso's work will be a double-sided drawing from 1916 showing both a Guitar on a Pedestal Table, characteristic of the synthetic cubism he pioneered, and a still life with an apple in the spirit of Cézanne. A summary of Picasso's work at that time... A tireless innovator of the 20th century, Picasso was the originator of the collage technique, which he used throughout his career. A very rare paper cut-out by the artist, Masque diurne, 1958, will complete the selection of works by Picasso.

André Masson (1896–1987), a founding member of the Surrealist movement, is considered one of the fathers of automatism and a strong influence on the Abstract Expressionist movement that emerged in New York in the 1940s. The inventor of automatic drawing and a great surrealist draftsman and pastelist, the technique of drawing remained central to Masson's artistic production and is characterized by dynamic, rhythmic lines. Whether during the early days of Surrealism or during his Martinique and American periods, his impact on lyrical abstraction in France can be appreciated through the works of artists such as Zao Wou-Ki and Pierre Soulages, whose free and dynamic gestures are reminiscent of automatic drawing.