Augustin Lesage: 800 Spirit-Guided Paintings Honored in Four-Exhibition Biennale
Augustin Lesage, a self-taught painter and coal miner from France (1876–1954), produced around 800 artworks, which he asserted were inspired by spirits. His contributions, pivotal to the Art Brut movement, will be showcased in four exhibitions during the 2nd Biennale of Visual Arts in Béthune-Bruay, Pas-de-Calais, from May 23 to November 15, 2026. Lesage was born on August 9, 1876, in Saint-Pierre-lez-Auchel and began working in the mines at the age of 14. In 1911, he experienced a prophetic voice that directed him toward painting. After dealing with legal troubles and being acquitted in 1914, he devoted himself to art post-World War I. Notable pieces include 'Sans titre' (1912) and 'Les Mystères de l'Antique Égypte' (1930). The biennale is titled 'Les mondes invisibles d'Augustin Lesage à aujourd'hui.'
Key facts
- Augustin Lesage (1876–1954) produced nearly 800 paintings he claimed were dictated by spirits.
- Four exhibitions dedicated to Lesage are part of the 2nd Biennale of Visual Arts in Béthune-Bruay, Pas-de-Calais, from May 23 to November 15, 2026.
- Lesage was a coal miner who began painting at age 35 after hearing a voice in the mine.
- He was consecrated as a medium at the Institut des forces psychosiques de Sin-le-Noble.
- His patron was Jean Meyer, director of La Revue spirite and founder of the Institut métapsychique international.
- André Breton, leader of the Surrealists, was enthusiastic about Lesage's case in 1927.
- Lesage believed he was a reincarnated Egyptian tomb painter after visiting Egypt in 1939.
- Jean Dubuffet integrated Lesage into his Art Brut collection in 1948.
- Key works include 'Sans titre' (1912), 'Composition symbolique sur le monde spirituel' (1923), and 'Les Mystères de l'Antique Égypte' (1930).
- The biennale venues include Chapelle Saint Pry in Béthune, Cité des électriciens in Bruay-La-Buissière, and locations in Auchel, Burbure, and Ferfay.
Entities
Artists
- Augustin Lesage
- André Breton
- Jean Dubuffet
- Jean Meyer
- Eugène Osty
- Ambroise Leconte
- Michel François
- Hermann Rorschach
- Unica Zürn
- Luana Vitra
- Maëlle Gross
- Daniela Ortiz
- Andrius Arutiunian
- Lonnie Holley
- Amalia Laurent
- Yuyan Wang
- Felix Shumba
- Cyril Abad
- Fleury Joseph Crépin
- Victor Simon
- Stéfan Nowak
- Jacques Trovic
- Jannis Kounellis
- Rebecka Tollens
Institutions
- Institut des forces psychosiques de Sin-le-Noble
- Institut métapsychique international
- La Revue spirite
- Collection de l'Art Brut, Lausanne
- LaM, Villeneuve d'Ascq
- Labanque
- Biennale of Visual Arts Béthune-Bruay
- Biennale des Arts Visuels
- Communauté d'agglomération Béthune-Bruay
- Banque de France
- Chapelle Saint-Pry
- Cité des Électriciens
- UNESCO
- Musée d'Ethnologie régionale de Béthune
- LaM Villeneuve-d'Ascq
- Edel Assanti
- Cernunnos
Locations
- Béthune
- France
- Bruay-La-Buissière
- Auchel
- Burbure
- Ferfay
- Saint-Pierre-lez-Auchel
- Sin-le-Noble
- Paris
- Lausanne
- Switzerland
- Villeneuve d'Ascq
- Morocco
- Algeria
- Egypt
- Bruay-la-Buissière
- Pas-de-Calais
- Villeneuve-d'Ascq
- Salpêtrière
- Indonesia