André Raffray (1925-2010), deemed "the painter of paintings", died in Paris on 6 January, 2010. Born on 18 July, 1925 in Nonancourt (Normandy), Raffray took art itself as the model for his work, from masterpiecesby Courbet and van Gogh to Duchamp and Picasso. His studies and subtle reflections on the canon of art history were almost indistinguishable from the originals, and yet entirely personal engagements with them. In addition to successful exhibitions in France and around the world, Raffray is represented in the US by Moeller Fine Art, which has organized several exhibitions of his work, including "André Raffray, Hommage à l'art" (2000) and "André Raffray: The Brooklyn Bridge"(2005). Robert Rosenblum,who selected the former exhibition at Moeller Fine Art as among the best of 2000 for Artforum, wrote: "I can hardly believe it was only this year that I learned about Raffray's mind- and eye-boggling contributions to "art about art," especially since he'sbeen at it since the '70s. For me, he now looms large as a venerable French magician who has added dazzling tricks to the metaphysical sleights of hand of such artist-counterfeiters as de Chirico and Bidlo."
1925 Born July 18 in Nonancourt, Eure, France
1941-46 During the war, works with his parents in their photography studio and is a correspondence student at the École de Dessin A.B.C.
1946 Starts working at the animation studio of André Rigal in Paris
1953Joins the Société Gaumont's cartoon division, department of animation, which he will later head until 1982. Makes a number of cinegraphic works: illustrations (a series of watercolors for the TV show 'Les Brigades du Tigre'), scenery, and cartoons, where he is given the opportunity to copy masters like van Gogh and Vlamnick for a shoot
1970Paints his first work related to art history, Meissonier painting 'La Retraite de Russie' (1812)
197376 Produces the series 'Windows', comprising five paintings, several of which are exhibited at ARS 74 (Helsinki) and at the 1976 Venice Biennale
1975-76Makes twelve watercolors on the life of Marcel Duchamp displayed as large slides at the opening exhibition of the Centre Georges Pompidou 'Marcel Duchamp's Oeuvre', Paris 1977. The watercolors are reproduced in a catalogue published in conjunction with the exhibition.
1977-78Produces a series of watercolors to serve as illustrations for the TV program "The Encyclopedia of French Cinema" by Jean-Claude Philippe
1977-83Produces 'Repeated Landscapes', a series of fourteen oil paintings
1978His watercolors on Duchamp's life are exhibited at the gallery Godula Buchholtz in Munich
1980Two Fenêtres are exhibited in the show La Famille des Portraits, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris
1981Ten paintings from the 'Repeated Landscapes' series are exhibited next to their originals at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
1984 Selected paintings from the 'Repeated Landscapes' series are exhibited at the Städtisches Museum Abteiberg, Mönchengladbach, Germany
1984-88 Produces the Diptych series (15 drawings, 1 print)
1986-87 Copy of Parmigianino's Self Portrait in a Convex Mirror shown in "L'effecto Arcimboldo", an exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi, Venice
1988 The Diptych series is shown at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. Begins work on the Triptych Duchamp-Matisse-Picasso (colored pencil on canvas). 'Nude Descending a Staircase', 'La Musique' and 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon'
1990'Nude Descending a Staircase' and 'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon' are included in the exhibition "Arts Territory" held at the Russian State Museum, Saint Petersburg
1990-91 Works on 'The Music' by Henri Matisse (colored pencil on canvas)
1992The Triptych Duchamp-Matisse-Picasso is included in the exhibition "Territorium Artis" for the opening of the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle Bonn
1993 At the "Marcel Duchamp" exhibition in Venice, paints the shadows of Duchamp's 'Bicycle Wheel' and 'Bottle Rack' directly on the wall of the Palazzo Grassi. Installs four large canvases, Duchamp, Matisse, Picasso, and Rousseau in the Salon des Émigrés at the Château d'Oiron
1994Paints a series of art-history-related seascapes
1995-96Paints several watercolors on photographs after Vallotton and Renoir
1996-98Exhibits a suite of works in three successive exhibitions at the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, Geneva
1999 Retrospective of his work "Lob den Anderen, éloge des autres" is held at the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle Bonn. Solo exhibition "Éloge des autres" at the Galerie Baudoin Lebon, Paris
2000Solo exhibition "Hommage to Art" at Achim Moeller Fine Art, New York
2001Solo exhibition "André Raffray: Un musée imaginaire" at Galerie Beaubourg, Château Notre-Dame des Fleurs, Vence
2002 Produces two diptychs after Joseph Stella's 'Brooklyn Bridge'
2003Starts working on a series of self-portraits (diptychs), several of which are exhibited at the Galerie Beaubourg, FIAC, Paris.
Represented in the exhibition Une Collection de Chefs-d’Œuvre, organized by the Frac Limousin in Limoges
2004Participates in the exhibition Rivages at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Saint-Brieuc.
Represented in the exhibition Dix-sept artistes à dix-sept ans at the Musée Arthur Rimbaud in Charleville
2005 Solo exhibition André Raffray: The Brooklyn Bridge, Achim Moeller Fine Art, New York.
Participates with La Musique de Henri Matisse in the exhibition Les Adieux à l’art de Jean Le Gac at the Galerie Nationale de la Tapisserie, Beauvais.
Solo exhibition André Raffray ou la peinture recomencée at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de Saint-Brieuc.
Retrospective, organized by the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen.
The complete series of Diptyques d’Autoportraits is shown at the inaugural exhibition of the new Galerie Beaubourg of Marianne and Pierre Nahon in Paris.
2006Paints the shadow of Marcel Duchamp’s snow shovel for the exhibition Chauffe Marcel at the Carré Sainte-Anne in Montpellier.
Creates several works reflecting on Marcel Duchamp’s installation Étant donnés 1° La chute d’eau 2° Le gaz d’éclairage
2007Participates in a group exhibition at the Galerie Eric Linard.
Exhibition Les Temps modernes at the collection of the Frac Bretagne in Kerguéhennec.
At the inauguration of the Marcel Duchamp space in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, representations of his Vie illustrée de Marcel Duchamp are installed.
The diptyque La Vue de la Sédelle de Francis Picabia is shown in the exhibition Photo Peintries of the Frac Limousin
2008Exhibition Étant donné André Raffray at the Galerie Beaubourg, Paris.
Paints Le Christ vert de Paul Gauguin for the Frac Bretagne.
Solo-exhibition at the museum of the Frac Limousin
2009Le Christ vert de Paul Gauguin is shown in an exhibition of the Frac Bretagne
2010 Dies on January 6.
Group exhibitions:
Seconde main at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville, Paris
Dix and d’art contemporain at the French Cultural Centre in Damascus, Syria Chefs-d’Œvre?, opening exhibition at the Centre Pompidou in Metz, France
Solo exhibitions:
André Raffray: Le peintre des peinture at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Brest, France
André Raffray: La Peinture recommencée at the Musée Denon in Chalon-sur-Saone, France.
