Claude Viallat's 50-year retrospective challenges American art history at Ceysson & Bénétière
From May 6 to July 15, 2017, Ceysson & Bénétière in New York presented "Claude Viallat. Major Works: 1967-2017," which featured twenty pieces spanning five decades. Associated with the Support/Surface movement, Viallat utilized dyed fabrics and vibrant acrylics, often in a wavy lozenge form. The exhibition packed large canvases into two compact galleries. Supporters of Viallat in the 1960s claimed he merged Matisse's decorative approach with Maoist radicalism, challenging critics such as Clement Greenberg and Michael Fried, who preferred color field painting. Notable works included 2016/344 and 1077/042, but a comprehensive catalog for English viewers was missing. While MoMA's "Making Space" highlighted women artists, it overlooked Support/Surface painters and did not affirm Viallat's radical nature.
Key facts
- Exhibition ran from May 6 to July 15, 2017
- Featured twenty works spanning 1967-2017
- Held at Ceysson & Bénétière, 956 Madison Avenue, New York
- Claude Viallat eliminated traditional stretchers, hanging dyed fabrics loosely
- Used signature reclined wavy lozenge shapes across all works
- French champions argued Viallat synthesized Matisse's decorative impulse and Mao's political radicalism
- Challenged American art historical genealogy promoted by Clement Greenberg and Michael Fried
- Exhibition crowded large paintings into two relatively small galleries
Entities
Artists
- Claude Viallat
- Henri Matisse
- Morris Louis
- Kenneth Noland
- Helen Frankenthaler
- Joan Mitchell
- Jo Baer
- Karl Marx
Institutions
- Ceysson & Bénétière
- MoMA
- Support/Surface
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- France
- Western Europe