MARIE-THÉRÈSE VACOSSIN

born 1929, Paris, France

20. 04. - 03. 06. 2022

Marie-Thérèse Vacossin's name is connected with the publishing house Atelier Edition Fanal established in Basel, Switzerland. Závodný Gallery has the pleasure of presenting the artworks of Mrs. Vacossin in the gallery space and introducing edition prints from the various series to general public. More than 80 creative personalities used to cooperate with the Fanal Atelier in past years.

The edition was founded in 1966 by Marie-Thérèse Vacossin and Marcel Mazar /1926 - 2009/, her colleague from the School of Decorative Arts in Paris /Ecol du Louvre, Paris/. Both of them shaped a basic platform based on specific characteristics: use of geometrical language, closeness to constructive art and high sensitivity in discovering logical and aesthetic connections in the work itself. From the large number of presented artists it is not possible to list all names, we would like to mention at least: Ode Bertrand, Vera Molnar, Julio Le Parc, Aurelie Nemours, Jean Gorin, Klaus Staudt, Carlos Cruz-Dies, Paul Bury, F. Morellet, Manfred Mohr…

We decided to dedicate the first floor of the gallery building to the prints, which perfectly document over sixty years of Fanal Atelier publishing activities. These works are unique especially by their quality, precision of color print and broad format diversity.

The works of Marie-Thérès Vacossin are strongly influenced by a French neoplastic painter, constructivist and disciple of Piet Mondrian - Jean Gorine /1899 - 1981/. Another important role in Vacossin's perception of art played the knowledge of the work of American expressionist artist Ad Reinhardt /1913-1967/.

In the centre of her attention is research on color perception. Although she uses elementary forms of geometry and the artworks may appear methodical and very organized, in reality they are not subject to sophisticated mathematical systems, but rather related to her sensory experiences. Marie-Thérèse Vacossin has been closely aligned with the scene of Op Art movement, although she has resisted on being called an Op Artist.

 Marie-Thérès Vacossin has been studying the color spectrum since 1973, always looking for new forms of usage. Her canvases are characterized by the division into colored fields, most often bands or stripes, that create vibrant and emotional visual perceptions on the audience. Integral part of Vacossin's work is experimental, which is crucial for the creation of many autonomous series and cycles. She also frequently works with paper, a material that allows her to realize purist relief structures.

Mrs. Vacossin currently lives in Basel. In 1980, she was appointed a Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature.

Thanks for the preparation of the exhibition belong to the entire studio of the Atelier Edition Fanal, especially to Mrs. Danielle Harder.