Bernard Aubertin

Bernard Aubertin was a prominent figure in the ZERO art movement, known for his work with color and performance art. His deep fascination with the interplay of color, movement, and fire helped cement his legendary status as a performance artist.

Biography of Bernard Aubertin 

Bernard Aubertin was a French artist, born in 1934 in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, though many mistake him for a German artist due to his involvement in the German-rooted ZERO art movement of the 1960s.

After graduating from the State School of Decoration, he explored Cubism and Futurism. His early works included portraits, landscapes, and still lifes. In 1957, he met Yves Klein, whom Aubertin regarded as his master. Klein's influence was pivotal in Aubertin's creation of his renowned monochrome canvases.

In 1962, Bernard Aubertin was one of the founders of the group ZERO, where he collaborated closely with artists such as Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Piero Manzoni. Frequently setting his work ablaze, Aubertin toured with the ZERO group, advancing to spinning wheels, creating 2D works with fire, matches, and circles, and eventually moving on to 3D objects like violins, cars, and books. While his contemporaries in the ZERO group experimented with light and shadow, Aubertin preferred to work with fire and ash.

Since the 1970s, Bernard Aubertin's works have been exhibited in some of the world's most renowned galleries and prestigious museums. Permanent exhibitions dedicated to the French artist are housed at the Graz Art Museum in Austria, the Düsseldorf Museum, and the National Center for Contemporary Art in Paris.

Bernard Aubertin passed away at the age of 81 in 2015, in Reutlingen, Germany.

The Art of Bernard Aubertin

Red is the color with which Bernard Aubertin would be associated for the rest of his life. He began exploring the color red through monochrome paintings, symbolizing fire and energy. This vibrant hue became the undisputed protagonist of his early works, known as "rouge total."

In 1958, Aubertin began creating the Tableaux Feu series, later incorporating various objects such as nails in the Tableaux Clous, wire in the Tableaux Fil de Fer, and matches in the Parcours d'Allumettes. The artist's famous nail images, known as the Tableaux Clous series, continued to develop throughout his life. By combining nails, light, and red paint, Aubertin crafted striking images where light influenced the perception of red. 

Starting in the 1960s, Bernard Aubertin began using fire as a form of artistic expression. During this period, he created the famous "Dessin de feu sur papier" works, which involved the use of matches to mark the canvas with the destructive power of fire. He also worked on "Livres brulés et à bruler" pieces, where he incorporated flames by using matches, fuses, fulminate sticks, and smoke powder bags between the pages of books. In the 1980s, Aubertin's performances included inviting spectators to participate in burning books.

From the 1980s and 1990s onward, his artistic exploration evolved into performances where he famously set pianos and cars on fire. In more recent years, Aubertin transitioned from the iconic red of his monochromes to explore new colors such as white, black, and gold.