Jean Dubuffet

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Jean Dubuffet (31 July 1901 – 12 May 1985) was a French artist whose work included painting and sculpture. He was born in Le Havre and died in Paris.

Artistic career

Dubuffet briefly attended the Académie Julian in Paris in 1918. He later spent years away from painting, including work in his family's wine business, before returning to sustained artistic activity in 1942. His first solo exhibition took place in Paris in 1944.

From 1945 he collected art brut: work by people outside formal artistic training. His own practice developed through changing series and eventually included large outdoor sculptures and objects for theatrical performances.

Le Métafisyx (1950) belongs to his exploration of the human figure. The thick surface and flattened forms exemplify his challenge to established ways of representing the body.