Georges Noël: Origins of Graffiti

Fifty Years of Painting

Sanford Smith's Art20 Art Fair, November 7th - 10th, 2008, Gallery Exhibition November 12th - 30th, 2008

Noël emerged in the 1950’s as one of the significant pioneers of the Group Informel or “Tachisme”. This movement was to Paris and Europe what Abstract Expressionism was to America. Noël’s inspiration was the graffitied walls of Paris. The scrawls, scratching or incising into the building created layers of markings that sparked his fascination for symbols and use of writing. Abstraction lost center stage in the late seventies and eighties. Noël never sought to adjust his oeuvre to be “current”. Now in 2008 we are able to evaluate his work from 1980 forward and great works were achieved during this time. Works that even though they did not receive critical attention, are relevant, timeless and offer fully matured statements.