Claisse, Geneviève

From 1954 on, the then 19-year old Geneviève Claisse studied with her uncle Auguste Herbin. A few years later, he called her a "genius craftswoman, sent to us by destiny" and hoped that she would continue his geometric abstractions with her great talent. In 1961, the Paris gallery owner Denise René was also excited by Claisse’s rich creativity and extraordinary talent for colours, and she began to exhibit the artist’s works.

In 1964, Claisse subjected herself to a strict process of simplification within her multilinear concept. By engaging with geometrical surfaces and objects, she arrived at her "Cercles". These works expressed the gifted colourist’s vision of multiple rooms and spaces. In the following 10 years, Claisse with her remarkable oeuvre became the "keeper of the circle" within Op-Art. Today, her works can be found in numerous public and private collections, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York.