Henri Michaux

Henri Michaux (1899-1884) was a Belgian writer, poet and painter who, as a child, was solitary and fragile, sulking about life and games and finding refuge in reading. In 1920, he abandoned his medical studies that he had begun a year earlier to embark as a simple sailor and spend a year in South America. On his return, reading Lautréamont rekindled his need to write. Supported by Franz Hellens, he published his first text in a magazine "Cas de folie circulaire", followed by two booklets. In 1924, he moved to Paris where, encouraged by Supervielle and Paulhan, he had his first collection, "Qui je fus" (1927), marked by surrealist inspiration, published by Gallimard.

In 1925, he saw the works of Klee, Ernst and Chirico... an extreme surprise. Until then, he hated painting and the very fact of painting, as if there was not enough reality. In 1937, he began to draw differently than from time to time and he exhibited for the first time at the Galerie Pierre in Paris. He then continued to work tirelessly, to the point that his graphic production ended up surpassing in part his written production. Throughout his life, he explored watercolor as well as pencil drawing, gouache as well as engraving and ink. He was also interested in calligraphy, which he integrated into several of his works. In 1957, he exhibited in the United States, Rome and London. In 1963, he exhibited collectively at the Galerie Notizie in Turin with Borduas, Burri, Dubuffet, Pollock, Tapies...