Claude Tousignant, along with Guido Molinari, are two of the most influential and iconic painters from Quebec.

They are the key artists that contributed to "les Plasticiens” a major force in the evolution of abstraction in the post Borduas/Riopelle years in Montreal. 

Tousignant was born on December 23, 1932 in Montreal, Quebec and attended the School of Art and Design at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (1948 -1951).  Influenced by Piet Mondrian, Tousignant and his peers emphasized that painting should be pure form/color. Rejecting the approach of the previous generation, specifically les Automatistes, and how spontaneous expression was to be avoided. Many of les Plasticiens advances echoed Frank Stella's. 

Tousignant produced circular paintings with concentric rings of contrasting colours, which he successively entitled targets, chromatic transformers, gongs and chromatic accelerators.

He chose a circular format for the sequences of colour in order to produce a dynamic optical effect. Barnett Newman at the Museum of Modern Art in New York once remarked on his ability "to say as much as possible with as few elements as possible." 

Tousignant's work has been shown extensively in Canada and internationally including the 8th Bienal de São Paulo (1965). In 2009 Tousignant was the subject of a major retrospective at the Musée D'art Contemporain De Montréal. 

Tousignant's "target" paintings are highly sought-after by collectors and rarely come to market. Caviar20 is proud to be offering this dynamic diptych. 

"Sulfo Selenide"

Titled, dated 1973, date stamped, signed by the artist.

Acrylic on canvas on wood

Montreal, 1973

12"W (each disc)

27"W (overall - based on artist's instructions)

Excellent condition.

Note: contact us for detailed information about the provenance