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FauveParis
85
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Stani Nitkowski (1949–2001) The Grey Turban Oil on canvas, s…
See original version (French)
85
-
Stani Nitkowski (1949–2001) The Grey Turban Oil on canvas, s…
See original version (French)
Estimate €400 - €600
Voluntary lot
Description
Stani Nitkowski (1949–2001) The Grey Turban Oil on canvas, signed lower left and titled on the reverse, 73 x 60 cm René Nitkowski, his official name, was born in 1949 to a miner of Polish origin and a French seamstress.
Whilst two of his siblings died in infancy, he was diagnosed with myopathy as a teenager – a progressive degeneration of muscle cells – and found himself in a wheelchair at the age of 23. It was then that he began to paint. Self-taught, he captured on canvas or paper the passions that drove him, in a style blending poetry, humour and tragic sentiments.
Captivated by art brut, particularly the works of his mentors, Robert Tatin and Jean Dubuffet, he decided to move away from abstraction in the 1970s. He was supported by two influential Parisian gallery owners: first Cérès Franco, then Roland Vanuxem. As his colour palette grew darker, exhibitions followed one after another, not only in France but also internationally: in New York, Montreal and Lausanne. In 1993, the Niort Museum dedicated a retrospective exhibition to him. Since his death in 2001, several galleries and institutions have paid tribute to him, notably the Halle Saint-Pierre in Paris.
“Deep down, I am an Expressionist painter; I am of Slavic origin, and my great loves are Van Gogh, Goya and Maryan.” Stani Nitkowski
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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