A leading figure in Narrative Figuration in the 1960s, Jacques Monory (1924-2018) created a particular pictorial universe, in which the brushstrokes in blue and white immediately set him apart. We celebrate this preeminent artist in the year that marks the centenary of his birth.

Multifaceted, he worked not only in painting but also in performance, photography, cinema, and crime literature. Influences noticeable in his artwork include the selection of scenes with a theatrical nature, the observer's viewing angle, the positioning of the characters in space, and the limited color palette.

 CPS had the opportunity to publish two of his works: "Bisou" and "Nuit," where his unmistakable cinematic style is clearly present.

The artist invites us to view the world through a monochromatic blue lens, which creates a distance from the observed scene, "protecting" us from the excesses of violence, drama, and passion.

With a well-studied career and recognized in Art History, his work is part of the collections of museums such as the Centre Pompidou and the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the Museu de Arte Contemporânea in Belém, Lisbon, among many others.

Jacques Monory, Stiges Museums

“Velvet Jungle”, no. 10/1, 1970 – Collection of Berardo, Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Belém

In the CPS collection, we also find works by two other renowned artists associated with this moment in European art history. See the works of Ivan Messac and Peter Klasen here.