Michel De Gallard

De Gallard was born on the 1st April 1921, at Villiefranche-d’Allier.

He originally studied medicine but gave this up in 1943 to study painting at the Arts Decoratifs and L´Ecole Charpenteir.

In 1948 and 1949 he took part in two exhibitions which included the works of Buffet, Minaux, Lorjou and Rebeyrolles. The theme of the exhibitions was "Man as Witness" and these were considered the most important post-war manifestations of figurative painters as opposed to abstract painters.

He was elected a member of the Salon d´Automne in 1949 and in 1950 was elected Founder Member of the Salon des Jeunes Peintres. Since 1945 he has taken part in all the official French Salons and has won many awards as well as having held many solo exhibitions worldwide. Michel De Gallard is considered to be a member of the illustrious “School of Paris” and his work is often exhibited with that of Camille Bombois, Bernard Buffet, Edouard Cortes, Jean Dufy, Henri Lebasque and Elisee Maclet. De Gallard is considered to be one of France’s most eminent figurative painters. His technique recalls the style of the great Parisian post-impressionists of the early years of France. De Gallard abandoned lengthy studies of the classics and medicine to join “La Ruche,” the group of artists who rejected abstraction and embraced a new form of realism. They included Leger, Archipenko, Zadkine, Chagall and Soutine. In 1948 he joined Lorjou, Buffet and Mineaux as an active member of “Manifestes de l’Homme Temoin.” An important detail which makes it easier to understand some aspects of his painting is that Michel de Gallard wanted to be an architect. From labourers’ cottages to large cathedrals, every manmade structure fascinated him. We cannot forget his love for Paris and for Utrillo, a painter of urban poetry with his typical façades. Themes from houses, roofs and walls are major elements of his painting. Also present are other vertical structures such as trees - isolated or grouped together, but always leafless, reduced to form a graphic skeleton with stains of red showing in the black branches, or telegraph poles, nervously sketched, very graphic and very personal.

The artist was fascinated by the stained glass windows of the cathedral in Bourges, in particular by the lead that held them together and the contrast it formed with the sea of colours all around. This is an effect that the intertwining branches, always present in his countryside paintings, as well as the pots, tubes and forests of bushes of his still life and studio views work try to recreate.

He has been awarded many prizes by both the City of Paris and the French government. His work may be found at the Musee d’Arte Moderne de la Ville de Paris and art museums ranging from Jakarta to Yamagata.

He appeared on television in September 1969 on a programme called "Atelier 70” and was the subject of a documentary film called "La Ronde" which was produced by Gastine.

Since 1971, he has been exclusively represented by the Galerie de la Presidence in Paris. De Gallard has taken part in many group exhibitions in France, other European countries and most recently in Japan.