Christian
Dotremont
Christian Dotremont is a Belgian poet, painter and surrealist cartoonist of the 20th century.
Fascinated by the surrealism of René Magritte, Dotremont moved to Paris in 1941, where he met Paul Éluard, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Alberto Giacometti. He pursues an experimental approach, seeking to manipulate words, in particular their material dimension. In 1947, he expressed criticism of the theoretical dimension of the surrealist movement, which led to the founding of the CoBrA movement with Joseph Noiret. This international movement of experimental artists, joined by artists such as Karel Call, Guillaume Corneille and Pierre Alechinsky, transcends the conflict between abstraction and figuration, promoting a spontaneous and expressive approach to art.
The logogram, an invention of the artist, occupies a decisive place in his artistic work. This system combines writing and painting in a single composition. In his poems, the scriptural elements are distorted and energized, rendered unrecognizable. Dotremont thus expresses its unique artistic vision through the exploration of form and language.
In 2022, on the occasion of the centenary of the artist's birth, the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium dedicated a exceptional exhibition, showcasing more than one hundred twenty works on paper.
