Michel Henry [Grand Palais] Original silk screen print, signed by the artist [framed]

Limited edition of 300. 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 stencil printing technique where colors are transferred onto paper or fabric by allowing them to seep through the mesh of a silk screen. Areas not intended for color transfer are blocked. A separate screen is used for each color. In the 1950s, artists like Andy Warhol in the United States began using it in the art field, and it spread as an art printmaking technique. Since a large amount of color can be seeped through, allowing for a thickness similar to oil paints, it was an ideal printmaking technique for Michel Henri, whose beautiful matière (the texture of paint applied with a brush) is renowned.

Michel Henri is a painter who mainly depicts flowers and, alongside Buffet and Brasilier, is one of the representative painters of the 20th-century French art world. His paintings evoke a sense of happiness, earning him the title "Painter of Happiness" in France, and "King of Poppies" in America due to his frequent depiction of poppies. His transparent colors are often likened to jewels. Red is said to be the color of ruby, blue the color of sapphire, green the color of emerald, and deep brown the color of topaz. Michel Henri's paintings are collected by institutions such as the Paris Museum of Modern Art, the Royal Swedish Court, the Principality of Monaco, and the Royal Saudi Arabian Court. Since 1995, Galerie Adeka has been Michel Henri's sole agent in Japan, organizing Michel Henri's exhibition tours at famous department stores and galleries across Japan, producing original signed prints by Michel Henri, selling paintings and prints, and managing copyrights.

  This original silkscreen print is part of the "Paris Tetralogy" (Grand Palais, Notre Dame, Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre, and Eiffel Tower with Irises) and was produced in Paris in 1986 by a Parisian publisher. This piece was purchased directly from the Parisian publisher in 2004.

Work Commentary

The Grand Palais is adjacent to the Pont Alexandre III, which spans the Seine River. Both were built around 1900 and have become famous Parisian landmarks. The composition is a multi-layered, stepped arrangement. Behind the yellow floral compote in the foreground, the shimmering surface of the Seine is layered, followed by the Pont Alexandre III. The balustrades of the Pont Alexandre III, crowned with gilded sculptures, and the roof of the Grand Palais are layered above, and the background features a sky of blue, white, and pink. The canvas is horizontally layered in five stages, like stacked boxes, guiding the viewer's gaze upwards from bottom to top as if ascending stairs. The accumulation of horizontal planes gives the painting a sense of depth. The dark tones used for the glass roof of the Grand Palais and other elements harmonize with the grandeur of the composition. Within this, the single yellow petals in the compote bloom vibrantly, echoing the golden sculptures on the bridge's balustrade.

Yasuhiro Takeda, Galerie Adeka