Jean Dubuffet: Ardent Celebration
02.25.2022 - 08.21.2022
At the end of World War II, Jean Dubuffet (1901–1985) began exhibiting paintings that defied entrenched artistic values. He rejected principles of decorum and classical beauty, along with pretentions of expertise. Instead, he looked to the commonplace and the unheralded, employing crude materials, mundane subjects, and a style that spurned any outward sign of academic training.
In this approach, Dubuffet was challenging norms that he believed obstructed authentic expression and devalued everyday experience. However, his goal was not only to reveal how threadbare cultural conventions were; he also wanted to illustrate the vitality of life freed from them. As he once claimed, “I would like people to see my work as a rehabilitation of scorned values and . . . make no mistake about it, a work of ardent celebration.”
Jean Dubuffet
The Misunderstanding (La Mésentente), March 12, 1978
Acrylic on paper, mounted to canvas
139.4 x 241.9 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, By exchange 86.3405
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
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Jean Dubuffet
Miss Cholera (Miss Choléra), January 1946
Oil, sand, pebbles, and straw on canvas
54.6 × 46 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Gift, Katharine Kuh 72.2007
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Lady's Body (Corps de Dame), 1950
Ink on paper
27.8 x 21.1 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Gift, Andrew Powie Fuller and Geraldine Spreckels Fuller Collection 2000.12
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Portrait of the Soldier Lucien Geominne (Portrait du soldat Lucien Geominne), December 1950
Oil, sand, and pebbles on Masonite
64.8 x 61.6 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Hannelore B. and Rudolph B. Schulhof Collection, bequest of Hannelore B. Schulhof 2012.49
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
The Knoll of Visions (La butte aux visions), August 23, 1952
Oil on Masonite
150 x 194.9 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 74.2077
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
The Burning Life of the Earth (Vie ardente du sol), July 1959
from Theater of the Earth (Théâtre du sol)
Lithograph with letterpress, 63.5 x 45.2 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Gift, Mr. and Mrs. Morton Lloyd Janklow in honor of the artist 82.2973.8.10
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Substance of Stars (Substance d'astre), December 1959
Aluminum foil and oil paint on Masonite
150 x 195 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 74.2078
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Nunc Stans, May 16–June 5, 1965
Vinyl paint on canvas, three panels
161.9 x 274 cm each; 161.9 x 821.7 cm overall
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 66.1818
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Bidon l'Esbroufe, December 11, 1967
Polyester resin and vinyl paint
167 x 76.2 x 40 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Gift, the artist in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Messer 70.1920
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Mute Permute, October 1971
Foam board, vinyl paint, and acrylic paint
288.6 x 384.8 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, Gift, Mr. and Mrs. Morton Lloyd Janklow 79.2608
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
The Misunderstanding (La Mésentente), March 12, 1978
Acrylic on paper, mounted to canvas
139.4 × 241.9 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, By exchange 86.3405
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Sight G 132 (Kowloon) [Mire G 132 (Kowloon)], September 18, 1983
Acrylic on paper, mounted to canvas
201 × 301.6 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 87.3526
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
Jean Dubuffet
Given (Donnée), April 20, 1984
Acrylic on paper, mounted to canvas
67 × 99.7 cm
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, By exchange 86.3410
© Jean Dubuffet, VEGAP, Bilbao, 2022
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