A key figure in contemporary creation and among the French painters and artists of the 20th and now the 21st century, works of art, and in particular the abstract paintings of Pierre Soulages, have long since won the support of the art market. Auction houses, museums of modern and contemporary art and the art market in general recognize in his way of painting an embodiment of modern and contemporary abstract art. Pierre Soulages’ paintings are thus sold at auction by art object departments or by modern and contemporary art departments in prestigious auctioneer’s studios.
Pierre Soulages was born on December 2, 1919. He marks contemporary art with a powerful innovation that he calls “noir-lumière” or “outrenoir”. Through the use of painting or engraving, he succeeds in giving birth from black to colour or even pure light.
Pierre Soulages is at the side of Gérard Schneider and Hans Hartung and to some extent at the side of Chu Teh-Chun and Georges Mathieu, a pioneer of lyrical abstraction. Today Pierre Soulages is without doubt the most well-known French contemporary artist and is recognised by the general public and institutions alike. In 2020, on the occasion of his 100th birthday, he will benefit from a major exhibition at the Louvre Museum.
The auction house Aguttes Commissaire-priseur offers works by Pierre Soulages at modern and contemporary art auctions, obtaining very good results with important prices. In 2019, Eau-forte XXIV, an etching (38 x 28 cm – 15 x 11 in.) made in 1973 was sold for 16.900 €.
