NEW YORK, NY.- Dickinson Roundell Inc. announces an exhibition of paintings by Claude Viallat organized by Roxana Bruno Lamb and Jason Rulnick.

Viallat (b. 1936 Nimes, France) was a central figure in the radical 1960’s “Supports/Surfaces” movement, which sought to deconstruct painting through the conventions of the wooden stretcher (support) and canvas (surface). Over time, Viallat broke away from the group to pursue his own trajectory, and his subject matter, a singular shape – which, repeated, became a unique contribution to the legacy of contemporary European painting. These paintings are not “pictures,” per se, but rather art objects: they are somewhat sculptural in presence, yet lack the rigidity of form or structure that defines either painting or sculpture. The enjoyment of Viallat’s work can be a truly subjective experience as there is no clear hierarchy in his style or technique, which was originally derived from a simple foot-print stencil. Viallat’s work became influential to other artists of his own era, but he has also impacted the following generation of artists active worldwide.

Viallat’s painting, originally rooted in a critique on art, has become a staple in the most sophisticated European collections, though he remains virtually unknown in America. The colors and fabrics he uses are often re-purposed, varying in weight, scale and origin, and his works are constructed as part of a rarefied and transformative discipline. The nonchalant manner in which the pieces are handled and viewed – often stacked in a pile like bed linens; laid, spread out, on the floor; or hung by two nails from the top corners only, so that the painted fabric is able to hang free and “breathe” –creates a perfect balance between carelessness and deliberation.

Dickinson Roundell Inc. looks forward to introducing Claude Viallat’s paintings to a new audience in the United States during the New York Armory Arts Week.

Claude Viallat is on view Monday February 23 through Monday March 9, 2015.