b.1936, Aubais, France

Lives and works in Nimes, France

Influenced by Abstract Expressionism and reacting against the naturalism of classical painting, Claude Viallat developed a new formal language in his paintings. A rectangular shape with rounded corners, in a variety of colours, recurs throughout his work. He layers this shape over changing patterns, creating quilt-­like paintings - the simplicity and repetitiveness of his works belie the complexity of his subtle shifts in size, format, and contrast. He calls painting ‘a tremor, an inner uncertainty, a commitment to change, to infringe, to subvert knowledge and consciousness.’

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