French painter Jean-Pierre Cassigneul (1935-) studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris. He is known for his captivating paintings of young women dressed in floral attire — often including hats — making his contemporary art sought after for its aesthetic, as well as value. Find Jean-Pierre Cassigneul paintings for sale here.
Oil on canvas, signed. Painted 1972
Canvas size: 21.5 x 18in / 55 x 46cm
Frame size: 31 x 27.5in / 79 x 70cm
Very few of Cassigneul’s images do not contain a model as the central element, making this example extremely unusual. The cropping, composition, and subject matter are also atypical, adding further interest to the painting.
Oil on canvas, signed. Painted in 2021
Canvas size: 57.5 x 45in / 146 x 114cm
Frame size: 67.5 x 55in / 172 x 140cm
The sea is a recurrent theme in Cassigneul’s paintings. As he said himself; ‘The sea is an invitation to dream. I can play with light, the seasons, and the wind. A calm sea, the beginnings of a storm…It is a subject I can deal in an infinate number of ways depending on how I feel.’
Oil on canvas, signed. Painted in 2022
Canvas size: 32 x 24in / 81 x 60cm
Frame size: 40 x 32in / 102 x 81cm
Many of Cassigneul’s figures are shown in profile. Inspired by ancient medallions and coins, Cassigneul can focus on the essential lines of the face, without distracting the viewer with a particular expression.
Jean-Pierre Cassigneul’s talent was apparent from a young age, holding his first exhibition at the young age of 17. His long and successful career included exhibitions in some of the best venues in France and elsewhere, as he achieved worldwide recognition for his work.
Cassigneul creates beautiful, striking compositions of young women, often in floral hats reminiscent of Les Nabis, the early 20th century French Post-Impressionist avant-garde painters. They were in turn inspired by Japanese coloured woodblock prints and decorative arts, and looking at Cassigneul’s paintings, you can see this influence clearly.
His work is reminiscent of the expressionist painter Kees van Dongen, especially in his dramatic elongated and stylised portraits and use of intense and vibrant colour.
Following his first solo show, he went on to present in various group exhibitions, including the Salon d’Automne in Paris (of which he was member from 1959), the Salon de la Jeune Peinture, and Meubles Tableaux, an exhibition held in 1977 at the Centre Beaubourg. For several years, commencing in 1965, he had a contract with the Galerie Bellechasse in Paris.
Having had a private exhibition at the Galerie Tivey-Faucon in Paris, it was there that he met another art dealer, Kioyoshi Tamenaga, who publicised his work in Japan. Cassigneul has been extremely popular there ever since, and an exhibition was organised to celebrate his fifty years of work, which travelled through seven major cities in Japan.
His work has been exhibited extensively throughout Europe, and the United States, including the Wally Findlay Gallery, New York. Cassigneul has also painted commissions for theatres and hotels and has illustrated several books, including Le Tour de Malheur by Joseph Kessel. Browse our Jean-Pierre Cassigneul paintings for sale above.
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