Sacha Sosno's Tribune

l'Ecole de Nice


As soon as we present painters of the avant-garde from Nice, the word "Ecole de Nice" imposes itself.

Unlike the idea this word may higlight, there is not really an "Ecole de Nice" but a creative climate, a heart slowly formed by a long work of grouping and confronting artists, in events, trends or publications. There are three artists: who gave the start to the "Ecole de Nice". One person had to be the catalyst, and Yves Klein was that person.

These painters had in common a sudden awareness, which completely disrupted their artistic fate. At the turn of their carreer, they couldn't make anymore the difference between figurative and abstract painting. After many searches, they found out that art: is anything, but in a certain way is seeking one thing: the intensity of expression. They use industrial waste, new mass circulation items, pebbles, golden plates, monochrome painted surfaces, glass sheets and so on...

But most of all, their originality is created by their work, and not by provocation, showing no interest into controversy.

The will of the "Ecole de Nice" is to leave to items their intrinsic quality, without mispresenting them, in sight of any interpretation. This is, in fact, only the respect of the notion of humility, essential for the artist, too easily carried away by megalomania, leading into the absolute necessity for the artist not to create art. Art would be completely suppressed, or, better, it would be everywhere, since everybody could see a sculpture from Martial Raysse in a department store, every housewife would have Arman's creations in their trashcan, and workers could listen to concerts in their factories.

the Ecole de Nice wanted to teach us the daily beauty, turning consumers into art producers.


Brief bibliography about the Ecole de Nice


Catalogues, collective books


Monographies