René GUIETTE

René Guiette (Antwerp 1893 - 1976)

In 1925 Guiette commissionned french architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965) to design his residence-atelier in Antwerp.
Completed in 1927 and renovated in the 1980's, the house is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

"Sewing machine - Machine à coudre" 1944, oil on canvas, 45 x 74 cm
Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]

"Still life" 1944, gouache, 45 x 56 cm
​Available

Vintage postcard of "La Rascasse" at the old port of St-Tropez

"La Rascasse in St-Tropez" 1949, oil on canvas, 73 x 92 cm
A major and widely exhibited painting : Museum of The Hague 1949, Amsterdam City Museum 1952,
Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels 1958 ("Depuis Ensor"),  Goya Museum Castres 1962 ("Contemporary belgian painters"),
Utrecht Museum 1966, Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels 1966 ("Guiette Retrospective" - cover illustration), Haus der Kunst Munich 1959, New York etc..
Litterature : "Monographies de l'art belge", by Robert Guiette, Antwerp 1950 - colour illustration.
​Available, call 02 539.23.09 or mail [email protected]

"Untitled" 1939, gouache, 60 x 45 cm
​SOLD

"Untitled (Rare Self portrait)" 1948, gouache, 63 x 48 cm
Available​

"Self portrait" 1949, gouache, 48 x 38 cm
​Available

"Untitled (Ships)" 1949, gouache, 39 x 49,5 cm
​SOLD

 "Night butterfly - Papillon de nuit"  1950, oil on canvas, 81 x 65 cm
​Available

 "Bird's dance - danse des oiseaux" 1951, gouache, 49 x 39 cm 
Available

"Untitled (birds)" 1951, gouache, 49 x 39 cm
​Available

René Guiette​ was born in Antwerp in 1893. His father Jules was a luminist painter. Guiette started painting in 1919 and his first exhibition took place in Antwerp in 1921 (Janus Gallery). When visiting the international exhibition of decorative arts in Paris in 1925, Guiette was impressed by the work of Le Corbusier in the "L'Esprit Nouveau Pavillion" and asked him to design a residence-atelier in Antwerp similar to that of artist Amédée Ozenfant. In 1928 he met the banker and major collector Emanuel Hoffmann who acquired a painting which is now in the Basel Kunstmuseum. In 1931 Guiette exhibited with Magritte at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. He participated in group exhibitions in London and New York. His first solo exhibition in Paris was held at Galerie Rive Gauche in 1947. In 1948 he exhibited at the Venice Biennial together with Ensor, Delvaux, Magritte and G. Desmet. The same year, during which he visited St-Tropez, he met french artist Jean Dubuffet and became a member of "La Compagnie de l'art brut". In the 1950's and 1960's Guiette was present at an impressive number of group exhibitions at the Basel Kunsthalle, the Amsterdam City museum, the "Salon de Mai" in Paris, the Tokyo and Venice Biennials, the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, Osaka, the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York (with a.o. Fautrier and Hartung in 1959) etc..
Evolution of Guiette's work 
Early works (1919-1936)
Post-impressionist, animist and expressionist period.
Post-Cubist period (1930-1946)
Under the influence of Picasso, Guiette conceived a post-cubist language, paying much attention to architecture in his compositions. 
Materialist period (1946-1960)
The material itself became the primordial element in his work. 
Abstract period (1960-1976)
Since his youth Guiette was fascinated by mysticism and esotericism.
Under the influence of Zen philosophy, Guiette created very sober compositions featuring meditative signs & arabesques.
Guiette passed away in Antwerp in 1976.

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