Michel Henry [Montmartre and the Sacré-Coeur] Original silkscreen print, signed by the artist [framed]

Limited to 300 copies. Image size 52 x 65 cm. Frame size 82 x 94 cm. Created in 1986.

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, making it the perfect printing technique for Michel Henry, who has beautiful matière (the texture of paint applied with a brush or other tool).

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 1986 as part of the Paris tetralogy (Grand Palais, Notre Dame, Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, Eiffel Tower and Irises). It was purchased directly from the publisher in Paris in 2004.

Work Description

The Sacré-Coeur is a basilica church built on the hill of Montmartre in the north of Paris. When you leave Charles de Gaulle Airport for Paris after dark, the first thing you see is its elegant pure white figure, lit up in the night, impressing tourists. The harmony between the white roses and the pure white walls and dome of the Sacré-Coeur is beautiful. White roses are arranged in a long, thin crystal vase on the right, occupying the upper part of the canvas. The weight of the flowers makes it seem unstable, but the Sacré-Coeur supports the left end of the bouquet, making it stable. This gives the composition strength, while at the same time emphasizing the perspective by drawing the flowers in the foreground huge and the Sacré-Coeur small. This perspective is a technique that Europe learned from ukiyo-e prints such as those by Katsushika Hokusai of Japan.

Gallery Adeka Yasuhiro Takeda