Jean-Michel Atlan

Jean-Michel Atlan was born on January 23, 1913, in Constantine, Algeria. Raised in a bourgeois environment, he left his homeland in 1930 to settle in Paris. He then began studying philosophy at the Sorbonne. His passion for philosophy led him to become a teacher.

World War II marked a turning point in his life. Drafted into service, Atlan taught in Laval before returning to Paris. He was affected by anti-Jewish laws, which forced him to leave his job. In 1941, he moved with his wife Denise to 16, rue de la Grande-Chaumière, an artistic neighborhood that sparked his passion for painting. He began to paint seriously, influenced by his experiences of war and his poetic sensibility.

Engaged in the Resistance, Atlan was arrested in June 1942 due to his Jewish origins and political activities. Imprisoned at La Santé prison, he feigned madness to obtain his internment at the Sainte-Anne hospital, where he spent two years. During this time, he developed a unique painting style, merging expressionism and lyrical abstraction.

After his release in 1944, he published a collection of poems titled “Le Sang profond” and held his first exhibition at the l’Arc-en-Ciel gallery in Paris. From 1945 onwards, he established himself as a major figure in lyrical abstraction, participating in artistic movements such as CoBrA. Atlan forged an unclassifiable style characterized by organic forms and a vibrant color palette.

In the 1950s, Atlan held exhibitions in Paris and abroad that met with considerable success. His works, often perceived as totemic emblems, testify to a dynamism and incantatory power. He withdrew to Villiers-sur-Tholon, where he continued to work in a peaceful setting, away from the tumult of Paris.

Jean-Michel Atlan passed away on February 12, 1960, in Paris. His rich and complex body of work has been the subject of numerous retrospectives, and he is recognized as one of the most important representatives of the Nouvelle École de Paris. His paintings, housed in prestigious museums such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Tate Gallery in London, continue to inspire and fascinate contemporary art lovers.