Verdier, Fabienne

1962, Paris, France

Introduction

A well-known French abstract artist, Fabienne Verdier was born in Paris, France in 1962. Rebellious by nature, Verdier graduated from her art school in Toulouse with a first-class degree in 1984, and was subsequently awarded a study grant to learn calligraphy in Chongqing as part of a student exchange program between the two cities. However, when she arrived at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in Chongqing she discovered that calligraphy was not taught. Through grit and determination, she managed to convince two former calligraphers to teach her, spending her spare time copying reproductions of famous Chinese texts. She stayed in China for ten years, winning research grants to continue studying, all the while absorbing the culture and travelling extensively throughout the country. These experiences and her training in calligraphy undoubtedly influenced her artistic direction and gave her a unique perspective on the dynamic between Eastern and Western art. In 1989, in recognition of her accomplishments in calligraphy, she was made a member of the National Calligraphers’ Association, the only foreign member, and invited the following year to take part in an international calligraphy exhibition at the National Art Museum in Beijing. In 1992, she returned to France, where she currently lives and works.

Alisan Fine Arts first exhibited Verdier’s works in 2014 as part of Le French May, showcasing a series of original prints made under the supervision of world-renowned French Master Printers Michel and Thérèse Caza who have worked with many great artists such as Calder, Chagall, Dali, Tàpies, Lichtenstein, Miro, Warhol and Zao Wou-ki. She was also included in the gallery’s group show Tracing the Brush: Transformed Text in the inaugural edition of Ink Asia in 2015. Her works have been collected by the Musée National d’Art Moderne Centre Pompidou, Paris; Musée Cernuschi, Paris; Palais de l’Assemblée Nationale, Paris; Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Paris; Chinese Ministry of Culture, Beijing; Honda Group, Tokyo, Japan.



BIOGRAPHY
1962　Born in Paris, France
1983　Graduated from Ecole des Beaux-arts de Toulouse, France
1984　Awarded a post-graduate scholarship at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, China
1984-1993　Studied painting, aesthetics, and philosophy at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, China, with some of  the last great traditional masters
1998　Commission by French Ministry of Culture to create a poster for Festival d’Avignon
Started collaboration with French master printers Michel and Thérèse Caza     
2003　Publication of Passenger of Silence: Ten Years of Initiation in China, Albin Michel, Paris, France, a memoir of her years of apprenticeship with Master Huang Yuan
2007　Publication of monograph Between Heaven and Earth, text by Charles Juliet and Fabienne Verdier, photography by Dolores Marat and Naoya Hatakeyama, Albin Michel, Paris, France             
Four large works commission by Hubert Looser Foundation to dialogue with selected American abstract and minimalist artists (John Chamberlain, Donald Judd, Willem de Kooning, Ellsworth Kelly, and Cy Twombly) from the collection         
2010　Commission of two monumental works for the Palazzo Torlonia, Rome, Italy
Documentary by Philippe Chancel “Fabienne Verdier: Flux” on the creation of the commission work 
Publication of Fabienne Verdier, Palazzo Torlonia, text by Corinna Thierolf (Chief Curator of Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich), Editions Xavier Barral, Paris, France
Publication of monograph by Doris von Drathen, Fabienne Verdier: Painting Space, Charta, Milano, Itlay; New York, USA
2013　Documentary film by Mark Kidel “Fabienne Verdier: Painting the Instant” broadcast on France 5 on 1 February within “Empreintes” series                
Collaboration with Jean Nouvel, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
2014　Commission by Unibail-Rodamco of monumental work, Majunga Tower, La Défense, Paris, France
Artist-in-residence, The Juilliard School, New York, USA
2016　Documentary film by Mark Kidel "The Juilliard Experiment"                
Entered a permanent collection of Foundation H. Looser, Zurich, Switzerland; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany
2017　Installation of a studio/laboratory in residency, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, France
Creation of 22 paintings for the 50th Anniversary Edition of Le Petit Robert Dictionary, France
2018　Official poster of Roland Garros French Open 2018 edition, Paris, France
2024  Jumping and Flying: Discussion, Royal Academy Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
Currently lives and works in France and Canada


SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024

  • Horizons and Cork Oaks, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France

  • Rainbows Paintings, Valode & Pistre Architectes, Paris, France

2023

  • The Movement of Matter: M & M Saradar Collection, Château Lynch-Bages, Pauillac, France
  • Energy Lines, Custot Gallery Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2022-2023

  • Fabienne Verdier: The Song of the Stars, Unterlinden Museum, Colmar, France

  • In the Eye of the Cosmos: Fabienne Verdier, Saarlandmuseum Moderne Galerie, Saarbrücken, Germany

2022

  • Alchemy of a Stained Glass, Camille Claudel Museum, Nogent-sur-seine, France

  • Winter Journey, Custot Gallery Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2020

  • Fabienne Verdier: Vortex, Waddington Custot Gallery, London, UK

  • Fabienne Verdier: Solstices Online Exhibition, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France

2019-2020

  • In the Land of Cézanne, Granite Museum, Livre City, Aix-en-Provence, France

2018-2019

  • So at Night, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France

2017-2018

  • Silent Coincidences, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France 

2017

  • The Language Experiment, Voltaire Museum, Library of Genève, Geneva, Switzerland

  • Vide Vibration, Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, Switzerland

2016

  • Soundscapes, Patrick Derom Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
  • Rhythms and Reflections, Waddington Custot Gallery, London, UK

2015

  • L’Œil écoute, Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, Switzerland

2014

2013

  • The Spirit of Painting: A Tribute to the Flemish Renaissance, Groeninge Museum, Memling Museum (St. John Hospital), Bruges, Belgium
  • Fabienne Verdier, Eloges, Notes et Etudes, Erasmus House, Brussels, Belgium
  • Project Collaborating with architect Jean Nouvel, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

2009

  • Peinture, Galerie Jaeger Bucher, Paris, France

2005, 2007

  • Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, Switzerland

2004

  • Abbaye de Silvacane, Provence, France

2003

  • Galerie Ariane Dandois, Paris, France

2001

  • Chapelle des Beaux-arts, Paris, France

1997

  • Pacific Cultural Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan

1996,95

  • Galerie Joyce Ma, Palais Royal, Paris, France

1993

  • Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong

1992

  • Maison de la Chine, Paris, France

1991

  • French Cultural Center, Beijing, China

1989

  • Chongqing Art Museum, Chongqing, China

1983

  • Palais des Beaux-arts, Toulouse, France

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024

2022

  • TEFAF Maastricht, Maastricht, Netherlands

2021

2020

  • Rhythms and Vibrations, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France 

2018-2019

  • Un Autre Oeil, LAAC Contemporary Art Museum, Dunkerque; Saint Roch Museum, Issoudun; Abbaye Sainte Croix, Les Sables d’Olonne, France

  • Picasso – Gorky – Warhol, Krems Art Museum, Krems, Austria; Zurich Art Museum, Zurich, Switzerland

2018

2017

  • Talking Lines: Fabienne Verdier Meets Sigmar Polke, Museum of Modern Art, Munich, Germany
  • Passion de l’Art, Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence, France
  • Restless Gestures, National Museum of Art, Architecture & Design, Oslo, Norway

2016

  • Collection Looser: A Dialogue, Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
  • The World Meets Here, Custot Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2015

2014

2013

  • Waddington Custot Galleries, London, UK

2012

  • My Private Passion: Foundation Hubert Looser, Kunstforum, Vienna, Austria

2011

  • Art of Deceleration from Caspar David Friedrich to Ai Wei Wei, Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Germany
  • Un souffle venue d’Asie, regards croisés, Contemporary Art Centre, Abbaye de Beaulieu-en-Rouergue, France
  • Not for Sale, Passage de Retz Art Centre, Paris, France

2009

  • Elles@ Centre Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France

2008

  • Expansion Résonance, Galerie Jaeger Bucher, Paris, France

2006

  • Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, Switzerland (exhibited annually at Art Basel)

1990

  • Contemporary Brushstrokes, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China


SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Musée Cernuschi, Paris, France
Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Paris, France
Palais de l’Assemblée Nationale, Paris, France
Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Paris, France
Ministère de l’Équipement, Paris, France
Foundation François Pinault, Paris, France
Foundation H. Looser, Zurich, Switzerland
Kunsthaus Museum, Zurich, Switzerland
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany
The Juilliard School, New York, USA
Honda Group, Tokyo, Japan
Chinese Ministry of Culture, Beijing, China


SELECTED PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Collection of Uli Sigg
Collection of Elie de Rothschild
Collection of Monique Barbier-Mueller
Collection of Stephane Custot
Collection of Ariane Dandois
Collection of Bruce Kovner
Collection of Hubert Looser
Collection of Olimpia Torlonia