Michel Henry [Summer in Cassis] Original silk screen print Signed by the artist [Framed]

Limited to 300 copies. Image size 52 x 65 cm. Frame size 82 x 94 cm. Created in 1985.

[Summer of Cassis] Click here for explanatory video →

Silkscreen printing was invented in the early 20th century. It is a screen printing technique in which color seeps through the mesh of silk or other materials and is transferred to paper or fabric. Areas where the color should not seep through are blocked off. The number of plates is equal to the number of colors used. It was used in the art field by American companies such as Warhol in the 1950s, and became popular as an art printing technique. By allowing a large amount of color to seep out, it is possible to create a thickness similar to that of oil paint, which creates a beautiful matière (the texture of paint applied with a brush, etc.), making it the perfect printing technique for Michel Henry.

Michel Henry is a painter who mainly paints flowers, and together with Buffet and Brasilier, he is one of the leading painters in the 20th century French art world. His paintings give off a sense of happiness, so he is called the painter of happiness in France, and the king of poppies in America, because he paints many poppies. His transparent colors are likened to jewels. Red is said to be the color of ruby, blue is the color of sawaire, green is the color of emerald, and deep brown is the color of topaz. Michel Henry's paintings are collected by the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the Swedish royal family, the Principality of Monaco, the Saudi Arabian royal family, and others. Galerie Adeka has been the sole distributor of Michel Henry in Japan since 1995, planning Michel Henry exhibitions in famous department stores and galleries throughout Japan, producing original prints signed by the artist himself, selling painting prints, and managing copyrights.

 This original silkscreen print was produced by a publisher in Paris in 1985 as part of a tetralogy of French seasons (Spring in Alsace, Summer in Cassis, Autumn in Burgundy, Winter in Normandy). It was purchased directly from the publisher in Paris in 2004.

Work Description

Cassis is located about 10km west of Marseille, "the third largest city in France, famous for the French national anthem Marseillaise and the fish soup bouillabaisse." A poppy is depicted in a crystal vase on the seaside of Cassis, a small fishing and tourist port town on the Mediterranean coast. The vase base is painted with a complex pattern centered on several shades of blue, with a transparent and shiny glass-like feel. The harmony of this blue and the blue of the sea is so beautiful that it makes your heart tremble. The red petals of a poppy are depicted three-dimensionally, popping out from the top of the crystal vase, sandwiched between the moving blues. When you shift your eyes between the blue of the background and the red of the petals, a magnificent three-dimensional world appears.

Gallery Adeka Yasuhiro Takeda