olivier debré

Olivier Debré (1920–1999), born in Paris, was a key figure of lyrical abstraction in France. Coming from an intellectual family, his father Robert was a renowned pediatrician, and his brother Michel served as Prime Minister. Debré studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts and history at the Sorbonne before fully dedicating himself to painting in the 1940s.

A visit to Picasso’s studio in 1941 was a turning point that led him toward abstraction. In the 1950s, he developed his “signes-personnages,” which evolved into “signes-paysages” in the 1960s, works recognized for their broad swaths of color and expressive brushwork.

He also designed stage sets for institutions such as the Shanghai Opera, the Hong Kong Opera, and the Comédie-Française. His paintings are held in numerous major public collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and museums across Europe and North America.