serge labegorre

Serge Labégorre is considered to be one of the greatest living French expressionists. 

Born near Bordeaux in 1932, he suffered a serious illness in his teens that plunged him into painting, but the artist who has exhibited all over the world also has roots in Béarn and the Basque country. 

In Serge Labégorre’s work, the strength of the drawing immediately catches the eye. The line is sure and unambiguous, the gaze is keen, penetrating and determined, and the black background that surrounds it, far from engulfing it, emphasises its determination even more. There is no despair in Serge Labégorre’s work, only the strength to conquer and to give back to the human being all his nobility.

His painted faces are convulsive and chaotic, hard and terrible, yet prouder and more vivid than the darkness that gives rise to them. 

The dark interior of the body, torn from appearances, is a boundless cry. Each carnal impact is of immense force, and each surging head, painted with jagged strokes of night, is a simplified vanguard of poignant humanity.

From day one, his subject was man, and there was no need to be distracted by the times in order to deal with them. Sensitivity to human material is important to him. He needs to keep a record of it.