Jean-Paul Riopelle "The Owl / Hibou" Lithograph, 1972

Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923-2002) born in Montreal, was the only Canadian artist involved with the seminal post-World War II School of Paris. 

Riopelle was also one of the first Canadian artists to gain major international recognition. A Companion of the Order of Canada and a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec, Riopelle represented Canada at the 1962 Venice Biennale, and received a large retrospective at the Musée National d’Art, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris in 1981. The show eventually travelled to Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal.

His work is featured in museum collections in the National Gallery of Canada, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC.

Riopelle employed a tachiste style, which he achieved by applying oil paint in thick, demonstrative strokes with palette knives. He also worked in lithography, gouache, watercolor, ink, and experimented with bronze sculpture. 

When pop art and nouveau réalisme became popular in the 1960s, Riopelle introduced representational elements back into his work. 

Artist Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Paul_Riopelle

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Details: "The Owl / Hibou", 1972

Technique: Lithograph in Colours on Arches Wove Paper

Paper dimensions: 21.1 x 13.6 in (53.5 x 34.5 cm)

Image dimensions: 11.4 x 9 in (29 x 23 cm) 

Hand inscribed in pencil "EA" (Epreuve D'Artiste) at the lower left corner

Signed in pencil by the artist at the lower right corner

This is a very rare artist proof aside a limited edition of 100 signed impressions, of which 75 impressions were signed and numbered 1/75 to 75/75 and 25 hors commerce (out of trade) proofs were signed and numbered in Roman numerals I to XXV.

It is one of the plates of the artist's book "Parler de Cordes". The edition was printed by "Imprimerie ARTE Maeght" and published by Maeght in Paris in 1972. The piece bears the Arches watermark on the top right.

Note: Parler de Cordes was inspired by string games played by the Inuit.  

Excellent condition