Alfred Courmes at Orsay museum (Publication No. 1)

Alfred Courmes work shall be in part shown at Orsay museum from Sept. 24^th to Jan. 2^nd 2014 in an exhibition called “Masculin – Masculin”. A few year after “Crime et Châtiment” his presence looks like a long standing habit, but is in fact an exceptional event.

On this occasion, you will discover the work of the painter Alfred Courmes (1898 – 1983) thanks to this blog.

Once a week, a commentary will enable you to discover a topic, an operational specifity, an aspect of his art.

As a starter to this discovery is one of the two paintings shown ay Orsay, “Ex-voto to San Sebastian”, oil on canvas painted in 1935. You will be able to check, along these blogs, that this painting represents a concentrate of all the work of Courmes, mythology, history, advertising sources, irreverential attitudes, erotism … and that it will lead us to ascertain that the years 1934 – 1935 are keys to the understanding of his art. 

 Ex-voto à Saint-Sébastien, 1935 (146 x 120 cm, Coll. part.) © adagp

The second painting shown at Orsay museum is the San Sebastian at Saint Martin’ water lock, painted in 1974, replica of a 1934 version lost in United States.

 

 Saint-Sébastien à l'écluse, 1974 (130 x 89 cm, Coll. part). © adagp

Each blog shall be illustrated with paintings, but also with preparatory drawings or water coloured trials.

I shall report to you anecdotes about my Grand Father.

You will find press issues, published references about his work, links to other sites or blogs mentioning his name or work.

Most interested visitors will have access to more detailed informations under the headline “Know more”

Welcome to connoisseurs, to those who love his work. Please react to published datas by giving your contributions or your contestations.

This blog materializes the ambition to make Alfred Courmes more present among a wider public, because all the stories he tells us through his paintings can seduce lovers of good painting. While sharing this blog or the Facebook page, while listing you and having your friends listed in it, you will help this project go ahead and obtain that Courmes at Orsay museum or elsewhere shall always be considered as an event of exception though not as an exceptional event.

While waiting for the next blog in which shall be detailed all of the elements of the painting, 

and as a “starter”, you can discover some of the paintings covering 75 years:

 

© adagp 

 

Good painting.

 

Thierry Courmes

 

To know more :

The exhibition “Crime et châtiments” has taken place in 2010 at the Orsay museum. Painting presented : “l’étrangleur à la casquette rose” (or “the strangler with the light red cap”), 1925 (oil on canvas, 130 x 97 centimeters), privately owned.

Around the exhibition:

 - Press releases by Orsay museum (french)

 - The naked man, Philippe Comar (communiqué press book, french)