Claude Viallat's Painting Undone: Supports/Surfaces Movement

Born in 1936, Claude Viallat is a prominent artist associated with the Supports/Surfaces movement, which arose in France during the late 1960s and challenged conventional painting by focusing on the physicality of materials. His technique features repetitive organic forms on unstretched canvases, with paint applied directly onto the fabric. Alongside artists such as Daniel Dezeuze and Patrick Saytour, the movement opposed the commercialization of art and favored material exploration, gaining visibility through exhibitions at places like the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Viallat was active from 1969 to 1972, adapting his work to exhibition environments and utilizing industrial materials. He taught at the École des Beaux-Arts from 1979 to 2003 and still exhibits globally, with his archive housed at the Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art in Paris.