Opera Gallery Dubai is holding Object of Thought: Tableaux 1986 – 2008, an exhibition featuring the work of Pierre Dunoyer, an acclaimed French artist renowned for his intellectual and philosophical engagement with abstraction. Open until 27 November 2024, the show provides a unique opportunity to experience Dunoyer’s art, which investigates painting as an object of thought, employing form and colour as tools to foster conceptual exploration.
The exhibition spotlights significant phases of Dunoyer’s practice. It illustrates his changing methods of abstraction, composition, and the tactile nature of paint, demonstrating his continuous quest to understand the function of painting in contemporary art. As an artist, Dunoyer has always strived for purity in form and examined how painting can express ideas without representational imagery. The exhibition displays 19 paintings created over the last 20 years that trace shifts in his techniques and conceptual approaches over time.
Initially characterised by structured compositions, muted tones, and large white backgrounds, Dunoyer’s work gradually shifted towards more spontaneous forms and bright colours. Energetic touches of red, blue, and yellow are distributed dynamically across his canvases. The artist refers to these works as “painted objects/thoughts,” which, with their calming simplicity, “have no other ambition than to be just there.”
Object of Thought: Tableaux 1986 – 2008 brings Dunoyer’s dedication to painting as both a tangible and metaphysical practice to life, inviting visitors to reflect on how art can embody and inspire thought.
About the artist
Pierre Dunoyer (b. 1949, Marseille, France) resides and works in Paris. His background includes studies in architecture and psychopathology before he began painting in 1976. From 1979 to 1986, he split his time between Paris and New York before permanently settling in Paris in 1987.
Dunoyer’s art has been exhibited since 1978 when he presented his first series of paintings in three exhibitions collectively titled Ja na pa. He has showcased his art pieces in galleries and institutions throughout France and internationally, including the Jean-Paul Najar Foundation (Dubai, 2017), Farideh Cadot (Paris, 2012), Marc Blondeau Fine Art Services (Geneva, 2009), Palais des Congrès (Paris, 1998), Jeu de Paume (Paris, 1991), and Nohra Haime (New York, 1985-87). Dunoyer has also taken part in collective exhibitions at the Villa Medici ((Rome, Italy), Tecla Sala (Barcelona, Spain), and different French venues such as the Grand Palais, the Musée National d’Art Moderne, and the Centre Pompidou.
In addition, Dunoyer has given lectures at the École du Louvre, the EHESS (École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales), and the Collège International de Philosophie in Paris, as well as at École Supérieures des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, Orléans, Valence, and Geneva.
The artist’s paintings can be found in prestigious permanent collections, such as the National Gallery of Australia (Canberra), the Mobilier National/Les Gobelins and the Fonds National d’Art Contemporain (Paris), the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Lille, France), and the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris.
To get more information about Object of Thought: Tableaux 1986 – 2008, please go to the official web page of the show.
Additionally, you might be interested in viewing Limited Edition Prints & Signed Posters, an exhibition on display at Total Arts. We would also recommend you visit Post-Impressionism: Beyond Appearances at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
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