Editing Pierre Alechinsky

{{short description|Belgian artist (born 1927)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox artist
| name          = Pierre Alechinsky
| image         = Pierre Alechinsky (1965) by Erling Mandelmann - 2.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = Pierre Alechinsky (1965)
| birth_name    = 
| birth_date    = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1927|10|19}}
| birth_place   = [[Schaerbeek]], Belgium
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| known_for     = [[Painting]], [[Printmaking]], [[Drawing]]
| training      = 
| movement      = 
| notable_works = 
| patrons       = 
| awards        = 
}}

'''Pierre Alechinsky''' ({{IPA|fr|pjɛʁ aleʃɛ̃ski}}; born 19 October 1927) is a Belgian artist. He has lived and worked in France since 1951. His work is related to [[tachisme]], [[abstract expressionism]], and [[lyrical abstraction]].

==Life==
Alechinsky was born in [[Schaerbeek]], Belgium, to a [[Russian Jews|Russian Jewish]] father and a Belgian [[Walloons|Walloon]] mother.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dotremont |first1=Christian |title=L'arbre et l'arme, et autres textes sur Pierre Alechinsky |date=2007 |publisher=Galilée |isbn=9782718607498 |page=45|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DGZHAQAAIAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Magazine littéraire Issues 295-300 |year=1992 |publisher=Magazine littéraire |page=168 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KsYHAQAAIAAJ}}</ref> In 1944, he attended the [[La Cambre|l'École nationale supérieure d'Architecture et des Arts décoratifs de La Cambre]], Brussels where he studied illustration techniques, printing, and photography. In 1945, he discovered the work of [[Henri Michaux]], [[Jean Dubuffet]] and developed a friendship with the art critic [[Jacques Putman]].

==Art career==
In 1949, he joined [[Christian Dotremont]], [[Karel Appel]], [[Constant (artist)|Constant]], [[Jan Nieuwenhuys]], and [[Asger Jorn]] to form the art group [[COBRA (avant-garde movement)|COBRA]]. He participated both with the COBRA exhibitions and went to Paris to study engraving at [[Atelier 17]] under the guidance of [[Stanley William Hayter]] in 1951.

In 1954, he had his first exhibition in Paris and started to become interested in Chinese and Japanese calligraphy. In the early 1950s he was the Paris correspondent for the Japanese journal [[Bokubi]] (the Beauty of Ink) published by [[Morita Shiryū|Morita Shiryu]] of the [[Bokujinkai]] group. In 1955, encouraged by [[Henri Storck]] and [[Luc de Heusch]], he left for Japan with his wife. He exhibited Night, 1952 ([[Ohara Museum of Art]], Kurashiki) and made a film: Japanese Calligraphy – Christian Dotremont would write the commentary with music by [[André Souris]].

[[File:Pierre Alechinsky Le Bruit de la Chute 1974-75.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''Le Bruit de la Chute'', 1974–75]]

By 1960, he had exhibited in London, [[Bern]], and at the [[Venice Biennial]], and then in [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|Pittsburgh]], New York City, Amsterdam, and [[Silkeborg]] as his international reputation grew.

He worked with [[Walasse Ting]] and continued to be close to [[Christian Dotremont]]. He also developed links with [[André Breton]].

His international career continued throughout the seventies and by 1983 he became Professor of painting at the [[École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts]], Paris. For the season 2018/2019 at the [[Vienna State Opera]] Pierre Alechinsky designed the large-scale picture (176 sqm) ''Loin d'ici'' as part of the exhibition series ''Safety Curtain'', conceived by [[museum in progress]].<ref name="Safety Curtain by Pierre Alechinsky">[https://www.mip.at/creations/eiserner-vorhang-2018-2019 "Safety Curtain 2018/2019"], [[museum in progress]], Vienna.</ref>

==Awards==
In 1994 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Free University of Brussels, and in 1995 one of his designs was used on a Belgian stamp.

==Collections==
His works are held in the collections of the [[Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium]], the [[Tate]],<ref>[http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=639 tate.org.uk]</ref> [[Museum Ludwig]] in [[Cologne]], the New York [[Museum of Modern Art]],<ref>[http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A107 moma.org]</ref> the [[Walker Art Center]] in Minneapolis,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collections.walkerart.org/item/agent/919 |title=Pierre Alechinsky &#124; Walker Art Center &#124; Collections and Resources |access-date=20 July 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202111220/http://collections.walkerart.org/item/agent/919 |archive-date=2 December 2008}} collections.walkerart.org</ref> the [[Art Museum of Southeast Texas]] in Beaumont, Texas, the [[Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale]], Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the [[Fisogni Museum]] in Tradate, [[Italy]].<ref>http://www.moafl.org {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424074558/http://www.moafl.org/ |date=24 April 2013 }}</ref> The main-belt asteroid [[14832 Alechinsky]] was named in his honour in October 2000.<ref name="springer" />
{{clear|left}}

== References ==
{{Reflist
|refs=

<ref name="springer">{{cite book
  |title      = Dictionary of Minor Planet Names – (14832) Alechinsky
  |last       = Schmadel | first = Lutz D.
  |publisher  = Springer Berlin Heidelberg
  |page       = 817
  |date       = 2007
  |isbn       = 978-3-540-00238-3
  |doi       = 10.1007/978-3-540-29925-7_9052 |chapter       = (14832) Alechinsky }}</ref>

}} <!-- end of reflist -->

{{refbegin}}
* Mueller-Yao, Marguerite: ''Der Einfluss der Kunst der chinesischen Kalligraphie auf die westliche informelle Malerei'', Diss Bonn, Koeln Koenig 1985, {{ISBN|3-88375-051-4}} (pbk) http://www.expo-alechinsky.be/EN/Tentoonstelling.aspx
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{IMJ-Collections|first= Pierre|last=Alechinsky|accessdate=1 September 2016}}
* [http://www.galerie-lelong.com Galerie Lelong, Paris]
* {{MoMA artist|107}}

{{Authority control (arts)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alechinsky, Pierre}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Schaerbeek]]
[[Category:Belgian Jews]]
[[Category:Belgian people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Jewish painters]]
[[Category:Art Informel and Tachisme painters]]
[[Category:Members of the Royal Academy of Belgium]]
[[Category:Belgian artists]]
[[Category:Modern artists]]
[[Category:Belgian painters]]
[[Category:Abstract painters]]
[[Category:Belgian watercolourists]]
[[Category:School of Paris]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the École des Beaux-Arts]]
[[Category:Knights of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Atelier 17 alumni]]
[[Category:Belgian emigrants to France]]