Laurence de Valmy
Artist Laurence de Valmy invites us to reflect on the links between artists through times and the relationship between Art and social media today. Inspired by the personal stories of artists, she revisits Art History through anachronic Instagram of the past. In her POST paintings, she combines iconic artworks skillfully appropriated and painted with acrylics, with imagined conversations, historically accurate yet humorous. By telling the stories behind these artworks, the artist leads us to consider them with a new eye.
Laurence de Valmy is French born and lives in Philadelphia, USA. In 2017, she was awarded an Artist Residency at MANA Contemporary, NJ. In June 2018, de Valmy’s work was at the Museum of Urban and Contemporary Art (MUCA) in Munich, showing alongside Andy Warhol and at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.
In November 2018, she was invited to the Secret Auction of Art on a Postcard starring Marina Abramovic and her two artworks were in the top 10 of the auction. Museum Week has invited her to be the guest artist for the opening in New York of Museum Week 2019 at Michele Mariaud Gallery. Her work can be found in private collections such as Hubert Burda Collection, Abrishamchi Family Collection, Vinik Family and Eileen Kaminsky Foundation.
Basquiat Paints Like a Child.
#story.behind.the.art
In May 1984 Jean Michel Basquiat has his first solo exhibition with Mary Boone Gallery. In this Post he shares a detail of Killer Ass and his comment is based on his quotes “I want to make paintings that look as if they were made by a child” and “believe it or not I can actually draw”.
The show met with positive reception though not without critical undertones such as the review written by Vivien Raynor in the New York Times of May 11 1984 “The young artist uses color well (…) Basquiat is a promising painter, who has a chance of becoming a very good one, as long as he can withstand the forces that make of him an art-world mascot”
His friend Andy Warhol’s comment is based on his quote “I always notice flowers”. In his diaries, Warhol mentions that Basquiat is “nervous about the show opening” but that “the show was great”.
Sources: Jean-Michel Basquiat: 1960-1988 By Leonhard Emmerling
The Andy Warhol Diaries by Andy Warhol, Pat Hackett
Basquiat Paints like a Child, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, 14 x 11 x 1.5 in. $690 available.
Roy and Claude’s Water lilies.
#story.behind.the.art
In 1992 Lichenstein started a series of works inspired by the water lilies of Claude Monet, among them this 20 prints edition Water Lily (1993). He said ”I realized everyone would think that Monet was someone I could never do because his work has no outlines and it’s so Impressionistic. It’s laden with incredible nuance and a sense of the different times of day and it’s just completely different from my art. So, I don’t know, I smiled at the idea of making a mechanical Monet’.
Leo Castelli, his art dealer celebrates their long-term partnership of over 30 years. His friend the artist Ellsworth Kelly notes that Lichtenstein’s work brings back the water lilies to their Japanese roots. Indeed, Monet got inspired by Japanese prints and Lichtenstein’s style is close to the Japanese prints.
The post is liked by Takashi Murakami, who has been influenced by Roy Lichtenstein.
Sources:
Roy Lichtenstein Foundation
Christies London, auction catalogue, March 8, 2017
M. Kimmelman, PORTRAITS, Talking with Artists at the Met, The Modern, The Louvre and Elsewhere, New York, 1988
Roy and Claude’s Water lilies, 2020, Acrylic on canvas, 14 x 11 in. $690 available.
Henri’s Odalisque.
#story.behind.the.art
Vincent Van Gogh was fascinated by the night... during his stay in Provence he painted in June 1889 the now famous Starry Nightwhich he considered a study. Although he was not satisfied with it, this painting is now among his most iconic work and was a source of inspiration for many abstract expressionist painters.
In this Post, Vincent thanks his brother Theo for the supplies he sent him and shares his latest painting.
Theo was not a fan of this "new style" and encouraged him to stick to real things like flowers...
Sources: vangoghletters.org
Henri’s Odalisque, 2017, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 x 1.5 in. $2,900 available.
Jean-Michele Meets Andy.
#story.behind.the.art
On October 4 1982, Jean Michel Basquiat met Andy Warhol during a lunch organized by the art dealer Bruno Bischofberger, who took some photos of the two artists together. Basquiat left with some photos and one and half an hour later, Basquiat assistant appeared at the Factory with a 60" x 60” work on canvas, still completely wet, titled Dos Cabezas.
Andy who valued the fact of being fast declared "I'm really jealous. He's faster than I am.' and then later to Basquiat "I mean, you're faster than Picasso. God, that's greaaaat”.
This first painting would be the start of a friendship and collaboration of the two men.
Sources: The Andy Warhol Diaries, ed. P. Hackett, New York, 1989. Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art, Phoebe Hoban, 2008
Jean Michel Meets Andy, 2018, Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 30 x 1.5 in. $2,900 available.
SELECTED SHOWS
SOLO & MUSEUM SHOWS 2019 POST, MICHELE MARIAUD, NY
2018 BARNES FOUNDATION, PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF URBAN & CONTEMPORARY ART, MUNICH
2016 SOLO SHOW, FIAF MONTCLAIR, NJ
GROUP SHOWS & FAIRS 2019 AAF HONG KONG, KAHN GALLERY ART NEW YORK, KAHN GALLERY ART MARKET SAN FRANCISCO, KAHN GALLERY AAF NY, KAHN GALLERY ART FAIR 14 C, MICHELE MARIAUD GALLERY SCOPE NY, KAHN GALLERY AAF LONDON, RANGE OF ARTS ART UP, RANGE OF ARTS, France ART PALM SPRINGS, MICHELE MARIAUD GALLERY LOST IN ABSTRACTION, KAHN GALLERY, LONDON
2018 COCOON BRUSSELS, RANGE OF ARTS AAF HAMBURG, KAHN GALLERY ART ON A POSTCARD SECRET AUCTION, LONDON SOFA CHICAGO, KAHN GALLERY AAF BATTERSEA, KAHN GALLERY AAF NYC, AZART GALLERY MARKET ART + DESIGN, NY, KAHN GALLERY AAF HK, KAHN GALLERY MONIKER NY, AZART GALLERY ART NEW YORK, KAHN GALLERY SCOPE NY, AZART GALLERY STRANGER THAN FICTION, BG GALLERY, LA ART WYNWOOD, AZART GALLERY LA ART SHOW, BG GALLERY, LA
2017 SCOPE MIAMI BEACH, AZART GALLERY DIALOGUE, AZART GALLERY, NY WRAP AROUND 13, ARENA GALLERY, NY JUNE BUG, NOVADO GALLERY, NJ OPEN STUDIO, MANA CONTEMPORARY, JERSEY CITY
PRESS: ELLE, BUNTE, Blanc Magazine, Miami Artzine, Wall Street International, Art Habens, Time Out London, France Amerique, Le Petit Journal, Ici Londres, Floride TV, Merkur Munchen, Art District Radio, Miami New Times, Arty Lab, The Creative Chronicle, Poets and Artists, Londres Mag, Museum Week…