Claude Gilli

Claude Gilli is a major figure of the “École de Nice” (School of Nice) that had a considerable impact on French pop art. Born in Nice in 1938, he enters the School of applied arts of his hometown in 1955. In 1962, on New Year’s Eve, he burns most of his early works. Close to the artists Albert Chubac, Martial Raysse, Ben, but also Arman, César, Farhi and Venet it’s his encounter with Robert Malaval that will lead to different works that they made in common around “aliment blanc”. Having obtained the Lefranc prize in 1966, he is shown at the exhibition “12 super realists” at the Del Leone gallery, Venice, where he discovers the works of American “pop” artists, Lichtenstein, Warhol, Wesselmann. In 1968 he starts working with Plexiglas and then continues with a series of paintings “aux escargots” (with snails). In the 1970’s he moves to Paris and is also shown in numerous international exhibitions, one of them was dedicated to the school of Nice a the Pompidou Center, Paris. The degenerative disorder he was subject to finally caught up with him and obliges him to be in a wheelchair. He starts working tirelessly and develops works in cut iron, notably for outdoor pieces and monumental sculptures.

Works

Nice H.68cm

Table Basse – La plage

L’AMOUR FOU (Copie)

Bleu

BORDEL

POTINS

L’AMOUR DE DIEU

L’AMOUR DU JEUX

L’AMOUR PROFAND

L’AMOUR PROPRE

L’AMOUR GAI

L’AMOUR À L’EAU DE ROSE

L’AMOUR VACHE

L’AMOUR FOU

Biography

Claude Gilli is a leading artist from the Nice school who has greatly contributed to the affirmation of French pop art. Born in Nice in 1938, he entered the Decorative Art school in Nice in 1955. Between 1957 and 1959, during his first exhibitions at the Galerie de Longchamp, he befriended with Albert Chubac, Martial Raysse, then Ben at the inauguration of the latter’s “Laboratory 32”.

In 1962, on New Year’s Eve, he burned almost all of his early works. Then he met Arman, César, Farhi and Venet before meeting Robert Malaval with whom he carried out several works around “L’aliment blanc”. He presents numerous exhibitions, notably in Venice then in Paris at Yvon Lambert Gallery after having obtained the Lefranc Prize in 1966. The following year he takes part in the exhibition “12 Super-Réalistes” in Venice at Del Leone where he discovers the works of American “pop”, Lichtenstein, Warhol and Wesselmann. Then in 1968 he worked with plexiglass before starting a series of “snail” paintings.

After settling in a Parisian studio in 1976, he participated in numerous international exhibitions, including one dedicated to the “l’école de Nice (Nice school)” at the Center Georges Pompidou. In 1981 a retrospective was devoted to him at the Musée de Nice, and several catalogs were published by Pierre Restany. He also produced a monumental steel sculpture for the Palais des Congrès in the city of Nice.

The degenerative disorder he was subject to finally caught up with him and obliges him to be in a wheelchair. In 1985, He started working tirelessly and developed works in cut iron, notably for outdoor pieces and monumental sculptures presented at the Center d’Art Contemporain in Rouen (1990) and at the Jousse & Seguin gallery (1991). Three other retrospectives was presented in 1999 at the MAMAC in Nice, with the publication of a catalog with his works; in 2003, at the Villa Tamaris, then in 2004 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Bordeaux.

In 2005, Constance Ryder directed a feature-length documentary on her work broadcast on TV5 Monde.

Between 2005 and 2015, Gilli participated in numerous exhibitions in Asia, the United States and Europe, produced a monumental 12-meter steel sculpture for the Alliance Foundation, at the Al-Maaden Golf Resort in Marrakech, and was nominated to the grade of “Commander des Arts et Letters” by the Minister of Culture.

On June 28, 2015 Claude Gilli died in Nice at the age of 76. A posthumous exhibition was dedicated to him at MAMAC in 2017.

Exhibitions

On the Way to ART FOR ALL

Group exhibition

01/12/2021 - 29/01/2022

Space N°4, Space 3 bis

The 70's Show

Claude Gilli, Bernard Quentin

16/09/2021 - 02/11/2021

Space N°4, Space 3 bis

The collection ART FOR ALL - Art is for everybody

Group exhibition

09/12/2020 - 02/02/2021

Space 3 bis

ART PARIS 2020 LIVE • Monumental projects

Group exhibition

10/09/2020 - 16/09/2020

Pop Love - The Flames of Love

Claude Gilli

01/02/2018 - 10/03/2018

1960s - Group exhibition

Claude Gilli

26/03/1987 - 30/04/1987

Space 3 bis

Career

Selected Exhibitions

2024

Galerie Berthéas, Saint-Étienne, France

Château de Crémat, Nice, France

Elie Art Galerie

2022

Galerie Berthéas, Vichy, France

Group exhibition, On the Way to Art for All, Galerie Loft, Paris, France

News

25 May 2023

Celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day with our Art For All selection

Découvrez à l'occasion de la fête des mères et de la fête des pères notre sélection de sculpture Art For All. Profitez de 10% de remise sur www.artforall.fr

15 July 2022

Monaco-Sculptures 2022

Monaco-Sculptures invites visitors to a unique experience: discovering a wide panorama of contemporary sculptural creation during an art walk in a dream setting. Take a walk with the major artists in Monaco.

21 December 2017

Exhibitiob “POP LOVE” extended until March 10, 2018.

On the occasion of Valentine’s Day, Galerie Loft has the honour to present this unprecedented exhibition of Claude Gilli, dedicated to love in all its forms. The heart shape is an universal symbol of life and as well the feeling of love in popular imagination. The heart possess a visual and unique emotional power. The series “Fire of Love”, Claude Gilli offered a variety of forms on love, shining, smooth and in tense colours.