Martin Barré

Martin Barré was a French painter born in Nantes, who is known for his contributions to the development of abstract painting in France during the mid-twentieth century. Barré's work emphasizes a sense of pure form and color, as well as a focus on the process of creating art.

His paintings are characterized by their use of simple geometric shapes, such as squares, rectangles, and lines, arranged in various configurations across the canvas. Barré was particularly interested in exploring the relationships between these shapes and their placement within the overall composition.

One of Barré's most significant contributions to the development of abstract painting was his rejection of the gestural approach to painting that was dominant at the time in France. He believed that the artist's hand should be absent from the work, so as to emphasize the purity and simplicity of the form. This approach led him to use tools such as rulers and stencils to create his paintings, resulting in works that have a crisp, precise quality.

His work has featured in a number of major exhibitions, notably at the MAMCO in Geneva (Switzerland, 2019), at the Galerie Nathalie Obadia in Paris (France, 2013), at the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume in Paris (France, 1993), among others.