Sandven Art
Fine art sales and advisory — Oslo & Zürich
Gérard Eppelé (b. 1929)
French
Gérard Eppelé is a French painter, sculptor and printmaker born in Cherbourg in 1929. His work is centred on the human figure and the difficulty of understanding human experience. A background in tapestry and film set painting preceded his encounter with Jean Dubuffet in 1959. Drawing, painting, sculpture and illustrated books became related settings for a personal, often questioning approach to figuration.
Biography
Gérard Eppelé spent part of his childhood in Morocco before returning to France. He attended art school in Toulouse and studied tapestry at Aubusson, later working as a scenic painter in the film industry.
His meeting with Jean Dubuffet in 1959 proved significant. Eppelé worked as his assistant, and Dubuffet encouraged the exhibition of his drawings at Galerie Chave in Vence. Eppelé subsequently developed his own sustained practice across drawing, painting and sculpture.
Books and collaborations with poets also occupy an important place in his output. His work returns to the figure as a way of considering memory and the human condition, without resolving those themes into a fixed story. He taught at Villa Arson in Nice until 1992.
Available works
Collecting & enquiries
Eppelé's work offers an individual approach to post-war French figuration. Look closely at how the figure is constructed and how its presence relates to the surrounding space. Contact Sandven Art to discuss the works shown here and their individual documentation.
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