'The Artist in Her Studio' by Marguerite Bordet, Paris, Académie De La Grande Chaumière, Geneva

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Signed lower left, 'Marguerite Bordet' (French, 1909-2014) and painted circa 1965.

From an early age, Marguerite Bordet avidly pursued both … Read more Signed lower left, 'Marguerite Bordet' (French, 1909-2014) and painted circa 1965.

From an early age, Marguerite Bordet avidly pursued both drawing and painting. In the late 1930's and early '40s, she attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris where she studied with the sculptor, Antoniucci Volti (Italian, 1915-1989). After several years, and feeling increasingly disconnected with the academic atmosphere of the Salon, she left to develop her independent artistic style.

Bordet's first public exhibition took place at the Galerie Claude (1947) and, for the next forty years, she continued to exhibit widely with success, both throughout France and internationally, including in Cairo (1955), Geneva (1960) and the United States (1966). A 1962 exhibition of her work showed a thematic rejection of the Academy's influence and the artist's shift to a more personal and spiritually driven style.

Bordet continued to take frequent study trips to Italy, especially to Florence, where she was inspired by the Renaissance Masters. She also visited England (1975-76) where the works of J.M.W. Turner and John Martin at the Tate Museum had a pronounced impact on her development.

In an interview with Hervé Serane, Marguerite Bordet described her artistic process in these words:
"I start my painting with spots. Sometimes I cover it completely and everything is dark. But then it's stronger than me, I can't bear that there isn't an opening. Immediately, I place a Light. I need the shadow to bring out the Light. So I start with the shadow to create this Light. I cannot define why I need this Light so much. It's stronger than me. It's something that dominates me without my being able to explain it intellectually. It is for me an absolute necessity to seek the Light in the darkness.. You have to open like you open a window. You have to reveal. I remove the stains that obscure my painting to find the luminous background of the canvas.... I only paint with transparent colors and I apply several layers of glaze to preserve this light."


Partial Exhibition Record:
1947 Paris, Galerie Claude
1951 Paris, Galerie Breteau - Cairo, Galerie Adam - Alexandria, l'Atelier
1954 Paris, Galerie Simone Bdinier
1955 Cairo, l'Atelier
1959 Paris, Galerie A. Weil
1960 Geneva, Galerie Motte
1962 Paris, Marignan Gallery
1964 Paris, Ror Volmar Gallery
1966 San Rafael (U.SA) International Museum
1966 Cagnes-sur-Mer, Castle Gallery
1968 Paris, Ror Volmar Gallery
1972 Paris, Matignon Art Gallery
1972 Deauville, Coutureau Gallery
1972 Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Cultural Center
1973 Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Museum
1974 Bordeaux, Pierre de Tartas Gallery
1975 Bièvres, Moulin de Vauboyen
1975-1976 Cagnes-sur-Mer, Castle-museum
1976 Troyes, Cultural Center
1977 Kenigstein (Germany) Lutetia Gallery 1978 Paris, Râ Gallery
1983 Lourdes, Sacred Art Gemmail Paris, Râ Gallery
1987 Tours, Gemmail Museum See less