Pierre
Alechinsky

Pierre Alechinsky, born in Brussels in 1927, is renowned for his membership in the avant-garde CoBrA group, founded in 1948. This collective was a hotbed of post-war European creative energy, named after the cities of its founding members (Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam). Alechinsky contributed significantly to the group's aesthetic, which favoured spontaneity, bold colours, and a departure from traditional Western art standards. His work is often celebrated for its dynamic brushwork and vibrant, narrative quality.

After the dissolution of CoBrA in 1951, Alechinsky's exploration led him to Japan in 1955. There, he studied with traditional calligraphers, and this experience would profoundly influence his art. Alechinsky’s incorporation of calligraphic elements into his work manifests in fluid, gestural lines that dance across the canvas, merging Eastern artistic sensibilities with Western expressionist vigour. This unique synthesis has given his paintings a distinctive visual language, recognised for its rhythmic and lyrical qualities.

Alechinsky is credited with innovating the “marginal” technique, where he adds a lively border of drawings and writings around a central image. This approach acts as a visual commentary, creating a dialogue between the core and periphery of the work. This innovative framing device not only challenges the traditional boundaries of the canvas but also adds layers of meaning, encouraging viewers to navigate through the artwork's narrative intricacies. Alechinsky’s margins often contain a world as compelling as the main image, full of wit, critique, and introspection.