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Michel SeforBelgian and French constructivist artist, poet and prose writer, art organizer.
Date of Birth: 10.03.1901
Country:  Belgium |
Content:
Biography of Michel Seuphor
Michel Seuphor, originally Ferdinand Louis Berckelaers, was a Belgian and French artist, constructivist, poet, prose writer, artistic organizer, propagandist, and historian of abstractionism. He was born on March 10, 1901, in Antwerp, Belgium, and passed away on February 12, 1999, in Paris.
Early Career
Seuphor started publishing the art journal "Panorama" ("Het Overzicht" in Dutch) in Antwerp in 1921. In 1925, he moved to Paris where he became associated with Tristan Tzara, Jean Cocteau, Blaise Cendrars, Fernand Léger, Marinetti, Piet Mondrian, Kandinsky, Schwitters, and others. He founded the magazines "International Documentation of the New Spirit" in 1927 and "Circle and Square" in 1929.
Contribution to Abstract Art
In 1930, Seuphor organized the first exhibition of abstract art in Paris. He went on to curate exhibitions such as "First Masters of Abstract Art" in 1949, "50 Years of Abstract Art" in 1958, and "Construction and Geometric Painting" in 1959 in the United States. In 1954, he became a French citizen.
Artistic Career
As an artist, Seuphor participated in group exhibitions of neoplasticists and constructivists starting from 1926. He had solo exhibitions in Paris in 1953 and 1959, in Turin in 1967, in Liège in 1981, and in Saarbrücken in 1989. Retrospectives of his work were held in Paris and The Hague in 1977. Seuphor was also involved in ceramics, book design, photography, and collage. The stage design for his play "Ephemeral Eternity" (1972) was created by Mondrian.
Writing Career
Seuphor authored authoritative monographs on contemporary art, Mondrian, and others, which have been translated into many languages. His prose and poetry, including examples of "sound poetry" reminiscent of Kruchenykh and Schwitters, have gained increasing attention in recent years. A documentary film about him was produced by Belgian television in 1991.
