貝爾納．畢費 Bernard BUFFET (French, 1928 - 1999)

拱之城堡 Château l'Arc (Paysage aux pins parasols) 簽名中上：Bernard Buffet 63 Signed upper center Bernard Buffet and dated 63

Notes: 貝爾納．畢費（Bernard Buffet）作為法國現代、當代藝術世代轉換間，戰後具象藝術的代表大師，美術史崇高地位，與全球性的藏家擴及度，使其公認為殿堂級藝術家。市場趨緩近二十年後，近年全球拍場佳績頻傳，與其它大師藝術家如畢卡索、夏卡爾、達利等重要巴黎畫派成員，為諸多專家學者指出潛力，位列眾多藏家尋求佳作的標誌型藝術家。 畢費1963年創作《拱之城堡》，該堡建立於十七世紀，位於法國南部普羅旺斯地區並鄰近馬賽，是藝術家1956年正式入住的居所。1958年藝術家三十而立，並首度於夏邦提耶畫廊舉行回顧展，夏季與皮耶爾．貝爾傑（Pierre Bergé）分開後，該年十二月與模特兒作家：安娜貝爾（Annabelle Schwob）相戀結縭。直至1964年為止，在此地遠離巴黎喧囂，莊園四周樹林與花園環繞的環境下，創作出許多代表性作品，如《基督》（Christ）畫作後來更是進獻給教皇保羅六世（Pope Paul VI）典藏於梵蒂岡美術館。如此宜人的環境，更吸引藝文圈友人：伊夫．聖羅蘭 （Pierre-Yves Saint-Laurent）、莎岡（François Sagan）紛紛來到此地渡假。 畢費屬於天才型藝術家，早年顯現才華，後天扎實的學院訓練，更塑造其藝術生命的多元與完整。二次大戰期間他於巴黎高等藝術學院，更是時常流連於羅浮宮賞析歷史古典大師之作：林布蘭特、庫爾貝、大衛、德拉克洛瓦等人。畢費也深深喜愛野獸派大師：烏拉曼克（Lot 047）的作品，更曾親自拜訪大師位在鄉間的住所。1946年在藝壇中第一次正式亮相的畢費，連同多位藝術家，包括：抒情抽象主義代表喬治．馬修（Lot 018）在內，入選《三十歲未滿的畫家沙龍》，並因為其獨特的個人風格隨即受到注目。1948年得「青年畫家獎」與「藝評獎」從此一炮而紅。畢費的天賦與才能，立即吸引許多知名收藏家與畫商的注意力。 亞洲收藏圈對畢費的作品並不陌生，早在1980年代隨經濟來往的頻繁，台灣受畢費風靡全日本的影響，促使畫商與畫廊引進藝術家版畫、原作，漸漸將這股風潮帶領進來。1976年日本靜岡縣由私人藏家岡野喜一郎成立「畢費美術館」，1996年台灣有高雄市立美術館舉辦「畢費回顧展」。畢費的全球知名度與開創性藝術風格，影響諸多創作後進，如台灣藝術家席德進，便有模仿畢費，常用黑線條，俐落勾勒物件外型的特點。而創作中與東方文化的共通性，更使畢費的創作容易為亞洲大眾所接受。 《拱之城堡》同時象徵著畢費的私人生活，1963年藝術家小女兒丹妮爾（Danielle）出生。隨著生活型態的改變，無論是家人肖像、居家用品、豐富的自然描寫，藝術家的創作題材環繞著家庭。技巧方面，相較於1950年代的建築風景作品（參考Lot 049）也有了不同的進化。《拱之城堡》整體以遠景布局，兩株參天的義大利石松，以黑到發亮的厚重油墨佔據畫面近景。雖然比例上城堡顯得小巧，然而藝術家巧妙將光線留給城堡，減弱建築物華麗的外型，草皮地面的鮮明綠意映上外牆，溫暖夕陽散落在屋頂，在天色與地面的交接之處，更添一分「家」的溫馨意象。 個性羞澀的畢費，曾表達繪畫是他的語言，向外界溝通交流的途徑。然而法國社會一度獨尊「抽象藝術」的風氣，對堅持具象表現的畢費誠然是一種打擊。他曾經封閉起自己，不分日夜埋首在工作室，留下豐厚且驚人的創作量。用創作找回平靜與心靈自由，疏緩不被理解的苦悶。畢費留下座右銘：「繪畫，我們不談它，我們不分析它，我們感覺它。」鼓勵大眾感性且深刻地去擁抱藝術，敞開心房細細體會它回饋的精神感受。畢費的辭世距今剛好滿二十年，他告別因病痛無法繪畫的失色世界，然而這位藝術巨人種下的不朽，也將繼續開花結果，豐潤人類歷史的厚度。 French artist Bernard Buffet was a representative master of post-war figurative art, which flourished during the era of transition to contemporary art. Highly regarded by art historians, Buffet's works are prized by collectors globally, making him a widely recognized world-class artist. After a lull of nearly two decades, Buffet's paintings have been well-received at global auctions in recent years. Citing his potential, many experts are recommending Buffet as a landmark artist on the same level as Picasso, Dalí, Chagall and other important members of the School of Paris for collectors seeking fine works. Buffet painted Château de l'Arc in 1963. Built in the 17th century and situated in the Provence region of southern France close to Marseille, Château de l'Arc became the artist's main residence in 1956. In 1958, at the age of 30, the artist held his first retrospective exhibit at the Charpentier Gallery. After parting with Pierre Bergé in the summer, Buffet fell in love and married writer and actress Annabel Schwob in December of the same year. Until 1964, several of Buffet's representative works were created away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, and surrounded by the forests and gardens of Château de l'Arc. For example, his Christ series of paintings was later dedicated to Pope Paul VI and exhibited in the Vatican Museum. The pleasant setting of his homestead became a holiday attraction for his friends in the art circle, including Pierre-Yves Saint-Laurent and François Sagan. Buffet was an artistic genius whose talent emerged early in his life. His thorough academic art training helped shaped the diversity and integrity of his artistic life. During WWII when he studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-arts in Paris, he lingered in the Louvre Museum to observe and analyze the great works by classical masters, such as Rembrandt, Courbet, David, and Delacroix. Buffet appreciated deeply the works of the Fauvists: Vlaminck's painting (Lot 047). He once even visited Vlaminck at his countryside residence. In 1946, Buffet's unique individual style garnered attention with his first exhibition at The Salon of Artists Under Thirty Years Old (Salon des moins de trente ans) along with several other artists including Georges Mathieu (Lot 018), who is considered the father of European lyrical abstraction. In 1948, Buffet shot to fame after winning the highest honors in the Critic's Prize (Prix de la Critique), drawing attention at the Young Painting Prize (Prix de la Jeune Peinture). Buffet's talent and ability quickly attracted the interest of many well-known collectors and art dealers. The Asian collector's circle is not unfamiliar with Buffet's works. As early as the 1980's, through frequent economic exchanges and swept by Buffet's popularity in Japan, Taiwan art dealers and galleries began introducing the artist's prints and original works. In 1976, Bernard Buffet Museum was established in Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture by private collector Kiichiro Okano. In 1996, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan hosted a“Buffet Retrospective Exhibition”. Buffet's global popularity and groundbreaking artistic style have had an impact on artists after him. For example, Taiwan artist Shiy De-Jinn imitated Buffet's style and often used black lines to outline the characteristics of object shapes. Common elements between Buffet's creativity and eastern culture also facilitated the acceptance of Buffet's works by the Asian public. Château de l'Arc also serves as a symbol of Buffett's private life. In 1963, Buffet's youngest daughter (Danielle) was born. As a result of lifestyle changes, the artist's creative theme revolved around family, whether it was family portraits, household items or depiction of his natural surroundings. His techniques also evolved compared to his 1950 works of architectural landscape (reference Lot 049). The overall layout of Château de l'Arc features a perspective of the structure from afar, with two sky-reaching Italian stone pines in the front occupying the up-close perspective with thick black ink. Proportionally, the chateau seems rather small, but the artist cleverly left the light to the chateau and skimped on architectural splendor. The exterior walls reflect the bright green grassy ground while the warm sunset scatters on the roof. Where the sky meets the ground, the warm image of“home” is apparent. Bashful by nature, Buffet had stated that painting served as both his language and avenue of communication with the outside world. However, French society at the time only placed value on abstract art, which was quite a blow to Buffet's insistence on figurative art expression. At one point, he closed himself off in his studio working day and night, producing a rich and bountiful amount of work. Creativity helped him find spiritual peace and freedom to alleviate the depressive state of being undervalued.“Painting, we do not talk about it, we do not analyze it, we feel it.” (La peinture, on n'en parle pas, on ne l'analyse pas, on la sent.) Buffet's motto encourages the public to embrace art emotionally and profoundly, to open their hearts and experience in detail the spiritual feedback of art. It has been 20 years since Buffet's death, when he bid farewell to the world, unable to work due to illness. Nevertheless, this artistic giant had been granted a form of immortality, continuing to flower and bear fruit, enriching human history.

Provenance: 大衛．賈尼耶畫廊，巴黎 私人收藏，亞洲 PROVENANCE Galerie David et Garnier, Paris Private collection, Asia Dimensions: 82 x 130 cm Artist Name: Bernard BUFFET Medium: 油彩 畫布 Oil on canvas Circa: 1963