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Jean-Paul Riopelle was an abstract painter and sculptor born in Montreal, Canada. He studied under Paul-Émile Borduas during the 1940’s and was a leading member of Les Automatistes, a Quebec-based group of Surrealist influenced artists who worked under the theory of automatism. Considered by some art critics as “the grand old man of 20th century Canadian painting,” Riopelle was a leader in his time.

Riopelle moved to Paris in 1949 where he marketed himself as the “wild Canadian.” He and his fellow artist and partner Joan Mitchell eventually moved to Giverny where they kept separate homes and studios. Mitchell and Riopelle influenced each other immensely, and, much like other artistic couples, their work is sometimes difficult to distinguish from the other.

Riopelle’s best known work is similar, in a sense, to that of Jackson Pollock. While Pollock used his brushes to drip and splatter paint on canvas, Riopelle used a knife or other instruments to apply paint straight to the tube and create his own kinetic pieces. These would generally form soft cubes of color on his canvas to create his Abstract compositions.

Though Riopelle began his artistic career as a Surrealist, he slowly moved away from this movement and into Abstract Expressionism. By the late 1960’s, Riopelle was once again spending more time in Canada, and earned a number of commissions in his home country. In 1969 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, and was recognized by UNESCO shortly after that. He was also named an Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 1988, and promoted to Grand Officer in 1994. During this time, Riopelle’s relationship with Mitchell ended and he returned to Canada permanently.

In 1969, Riopelle was commissioned to create a bronze fountain sculpture which he named “La Joute” (the joust), which features kinetic movements and abstract figures. In 2003, a year after the artists death, the statue was moved from the Olympic Park to the Quartier International de Montreal, which provoked controversy.

Today, Riopelle’s work fetches high prices at auction, and is housed all over the world including in Montreal and at the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Still wondering about a French or Canadian abstract piece hanging in your home? Contact us…it could be by Jean-Paul Riopelle.