Bauwerk collaborate with Barbican Art Gallery, for the Jean Dubuffet exhibition
Something for the culture connoisseurs, the Barbican Art Gallery have announced that their upcoming exhibition, Jean DuBuffet : Brutal Beauty, will be against a painted backdrop from paint experts Bauwerk.
Image credit: Jean Dubuffet in Paris, 1972, Francis Chaverou.
‘The Barbican itself, in its built structure is raw, unapologetic and does not hide what it is - characteristics that I love, and relate to with our product – it was an honour for our paints to be part of a Barbican exhibition.’ Bronwyn Riedel, Co-founder, Bauwerk.
Opening on the 17th May, the Barbican invited Bauwerk Colour to provide the backdrop to the upcoming exhibition. The raw and chalky texture of Bauwerk paints, created using natural limestone, offer a layered depth and texture synonymous with Dubuffet’s work. Bronwyn Riedel, co-founder and colour expert at Bauwerk, was asked to consult on the colour palette for the exhibition; carefully curating pigments to sit harmoniously alongside the artwork, honouring the artist’s process of experimentation, and in a way echoing his work.
Image credit: Laure Pigeon, Jean Dubuffet, 1953.
Bronwyn comments, ‘The Barbican itself, in its built structure is raw, unapologetic and does not hide what it is - characteristics that I love, and relate to with our product – it was an honour for our paints to be part of a Barbican exhibition.’ Bronwyn Riedel, Co-founder, Bauwerk.
Image credit: Jean Duffet in Vence, 1959, John Craven.
‘Departing from the traditional ‘gallery white’, the Barbican team were committed to a strong, powerful and emotive colour palette as the backdrop to Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty.’ - Eleanor Nairne, Curator, Barbican.
Drawing upon subtle pigments from within the exhibition, pop colours such as Chicory, Menthe and Arnica were used to make a statement, and allow darker pieces to stand out, while Juniper and Gentian set a moodier pace and Robin Egg offers a softer backdrop for the punchier pieces in the exhibition.
Image credit: Landscape with Argus (Paysage aux argus), Jean Dubuffet, 1955.
An artist known best as a provocative voice in postwar modern art, Dubuffet experimented endlessly with tools and materials - blending paint with natural materials such as glass, coal dust and pebbles. From the outset, Dubuffet was drawn to other untrained artists, whose creativity felt so much more inspiring to him than anything on display in the city’s museums. He invented the concept of ‘Art Brut’, literally meaning ‘raw’ art, and was passionate about its research and recognition. It seems like the perfect marriage then, as Bauwerk upholds and promotes the use of one of the oldest forms of paint colour and pigment use.
Given this powerful relationship to materials, we are delighted to be partnering with Bauwerk, to use their mineral-rich paints to create beautiful spaces fitting of Dubuffet’s work.’ - Eleanor Nairne, Curator, Barbican.
‘Jean Dubuffet experimented tirelessly with materials, blending paint with mud, shards of glass, coal dust, pebbles, slithers of string and tar. He bought his paint in DIY shops, borrowed techniques from stonemasons, and corresponded with chemists to make his own pastes and create unusual effects on the canvas. He praised his “fellow housepainters” for being “always so understanding of the ways in which the meaning of colour is affected by the manner in which it is applied, by the support on which it is placed and by the under layers as well as the media used.” Given this powerful relationship to materials, we are delighted to be partnering with Bauwerk, to use their mineral-rich paints to create beautiful spaces fitting of Dubuffet’s work.’ Eleanor Nairne, Curator, Barbican.
The Jean Dubuffet : Brutal Beauty exhibition will run from 17th May - 22nd August 2021. It is advisable to pre-book your visit.
Discover more about Bauwerk and Barbican Art Gallery.
Feature: Rory Robertson
Images: as credited.