The value of Jean Dewasne's paintings and drawings

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Artist's rating and value Jean Dewasne

Jean Dewasne, an important artist of constructive abstraction, has produced paintings, drawings, prints and tapestries that regularly circulate on the art market.

In the four categories mentioned below, the prices at which these works were sold ranged from €13 to €65,000, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to the artist's work.

In this case, a painting entitled Don Juan, dominated by green and orange, dating from 1952, sold for €53,000 in 2022, whereas it was estimated at around €12,000 to €15,000.

Order of value, from simple to more prestigious works

Jean Dewasne's style and technique

Jean Dewasne is known for his abstract aesthetic of geometric figures, inspired by and rivaling postcubism.

This formalism notwithstanding, his desire for a technique that would compete with industrial achievements led him to reject the injunctions of traditional painting.

He chose to adopt materials such as cold enamel, Ripolin, lacquers and glycerophtalic paints, without neglecting new supports such as metal and plywood.

He also incorporated mechanized processes such as spray painting into his repertoire of techniques.

The life and career of Jean Dewasne

Jean Dewasne, born in 1921, epitomizes the polymorphous artist of the 20th century. From an early age, he was passionate about art, nurturing his dexterity and embryonic artistic sensibility between musical notes and pencil strokes.

Fascinated by the curves of the human body and the refinement of plaster, Dewasne applied himself to the scrupulous study of the living model.

In his quest for artistic mastery, Dewasne takes care to cultivate his poetic universe by studying a craft with the same seriousness as a woodworking apprentice.

He entered the prestigious École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts de Paris. It was at this point that he discovered a real penchant for architecture, providing him with the keys to structural sensibility and opening the door to his future style.

In order to learn as much as he could and satisfy his extremely exacting standards, he copied classical monuments, but retained a modernist aspiration that was to become his hallmark. He nicknamed this period, which he found in hindsight to be outdated, the "chiaroscuro period".

He is also a member of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, having studied music extensively and played the violin at a high level.

Abstraction was not an obvious choice at the start of his career, and he experimented with different, more formal and figurative styles. After his first exhibition in 1941, he did not produce his first abstract work until 1943.

Shortly afterwards, he came into contact with and shared the same aspirations as Nicolas de Staël, Jean Arp, Serge Poliakoff and Hans Hartung. Together, they championed abstraction as a singular mode of expression.

In 1945, the artist joined the founding committee of the Salon des réalités nouvelles. The first Salon took place the same year, when he was awarded the Kandinsky Prize.

In 1946, Dewasne collaborated with the Denise René gallery, demonstrating his commitment to the heart of the artistic hemicycle.

Without abandoning tradition, Dewasne continued to explore oil painting. In 1950, he founded the Atelier d'art abstrait at the Académie de la Grande-Chaumière in collaboration with Edgar Pillet.

A Cartesian theorist at heart, he taught the mechanics of painting and expanded his knowledge of color physics and chemistry, applying theorems, square roots and equations.

Despite his admiration for Herbin's art, from which he drew his references, in the early 1950s he definitively established his style, which he characterized by geometric flat tints of bright, brilliant colors, reminiscent of traditional varnish.

By eschewing the technique of realism and unburdening himself of the complexity of detail, Dewasne has profoundly changed his art. It's no longer a question of forms, but of surfaces, stripped of the ornament of the third dimension.

Dewasne creates large-scale murals such as La Joie de vivre in 1949.

Those who considered his work chimerical and artificial were stunned when, in 1951, he painted a veritable artistic manifesto: L'Apothéose de Marat (Marat's Apotheosis), which transcended him: "the admirable thing is that the work says more than the person who created it".

Understanding constructive abstraction

Constructive abstraction, which emerged in the early 20th century, is an artistic movement characterized by the rigorous use of geometric shapes and pure colors, often combined with a rational, methodical approach.

At the crossroads of art and mathematics, this movement rejects chaos and irrationality in favor of strict visual organization, where every element is carefully thought out and calculated.
Its roots lie in geometric abstraction, notably with artists such as Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich, who explored the reduction of forms to their purest essence.

The term "constructive" underlines the intention to create works that are not simply representations, but autonomous constructions in themselves, where shapes and colors are used to structure space.

This approach is distinguished by an absence of direct reference to the visible world, in favor of a new reality, constructed by the artist.

Works of constructive abstraction seek to express universal ideas through a stripped-down visual language, often inspired by the scientific and technological advances of the time.

This movement finds a particularly marked expression in the work of members of the De Stijl group, founded by Theo van Doesburg, as well as in the works of artists linked to the Bauhaus, such as Josef Albers and László Moholy-Nagy.

These artists see constructive abstraction as a way of linking art, architecture and design, proposing pure, functional forms that integrate harmoniously into everyday life.

Constructive abstraction is not limited to a pictorial style; it also influences sculpture, architecture and even the design of utilitarian objects.

Constructive artists are distinguished by their desire to rationalize the creative act, often using grids, systems of proportion or algorithms to generate compositions in which order and harmony are paramount.

This approach, though rigorous, leaves room for a great diversity of expression, with each artist interpreting the principles of constructive abstraction in his or her own way to achieve a universal, timeless and resolutely modern art form.

Jean Dewasne at Art Basel 2013

Focus on Rythme et Couleur, Jean Dewasne, 1971

In 1971, Jean Dewasne created Rythme et couleur, a work that perfectly embodies his evolution towards geometric abstraction marked by precise shapes and vivid colors.

A founding member of the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles in 1945, Dewasne quickly established himself as a key figure in French abstract art.

In this composition, Dewasne focuses on the essential: the relationship between form and color.

Flat tints of vibrant hues, mainly in shades of orange, blue and green, unfold in curves and sharp angles, creating a sense of movement and dynamism.

Each element seems carefully calculated, a reflection of the artist's methodical approach, which is as interested in scientific rigor as it is in aesthetics.

Rythme et couleur also demonstrates Dewasne's ambition to renew his pictorial language. By discarding superfluous details, he favors pure geometric forms, reminiscent of mathematical constructions.

This work is both simple and complex: simple in its presentation of clean, colorful forms, complex in the subtle interactions between these elements.

With this work, Dewasne asserts his unique style, far removed from realism, where geometry and color are the main vectors of artistic expression. He creates a visual universe where each color, each shape, has its place and contributes to the balance of the whole.

Rythme et couleur remains emblematic of the period when abstract art was redefining itself, driven by artists like Jean Dewasne, who sought to push back the boundaries of artistic creation.

Recognizing Jean Dewasne's signature

The small size of his work means that the signature is barely visible, and usually appears in the bottom right-hand corner of the painting when it is not a sculpture.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a painting by or after Jean Dewasne, don't hesitate to ask for a free estimate using the form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the value of your work, as well as any relevant information about it.

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