Biography
Fabienne Verdier (b. 1962, Paris, France) is an abstract painter who explores the dynamism of forces in nature, movement and immobility by drawing on her intimate knowledge of techniques and traditions of both Western and Eastern art. Verdier paints vertically in ink, standing directly on her stretchers, using giant brushes and tools of her own invention suspended from the studio ceiling. Her work combines Eastern aspects of unity, spontaneity and asceticism with the line, action and expression of Western painting.
As a young art school graduate, Verdier left France for China in 1985 to study the art of spontaneous painting and other Eastern traditions with some of the last great Chinese painters who survived the Cultural Revolution. Her adventure and immersion as an apprentice painter would last nearly ten years, recounted in her 2003 book, ‘Passagère du Silence’.
Verdier’s work has been exhibited extensively in Beijing, Singapore, Taipei, Paris, Rome, Lausanne, Zurich and Brussels, among other cities. In 2011, she was included in an important group exhibition The Art of Deceleration, from Caspar David Friedrich to Ai Wei Wei at the Kunstmuseum in Wolfsburg, Germany. In 2012, the Hubert Looser Foundation of Zurich, having previously commissioned several works, selected Verdier for a group exhibition with Donald Judd, John Chamberlain, Ellsworth Kelly and Cy Twombly in Vienna’s Kunstforum. In 2013 the Groeninge Museum in Bruges, Belgium, held an important solo exhibition of Verdier’s work in conversation with Flemish Primitives such as Van Eyck and Memling. In 2014, she was invited to create an installation of seven works for Köningsklasse II, organized by the Pinakotek der Moderne of Munich, and participated in Formes Simples at Centre Pompidou-Metz in France. In addition to her current painterly research into possible links between music and painting, recent projects include Verdier’s conceptual collaboration with architect Jean Nouvel for the National Art Museum of China project in Beijing. In 2016, seven of Verdier’s works were acquired by Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich. Verdier was invited to compose a visual partita for the 2017 edition of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and won the commission to design the Roland Garros French Open official poster. In 2018, the artist set up a nomadic studio on Sainte-Victoire Mountain, renowned for its presence in several paintings by Paul Cézanne. The series was exhibited alongside the works of Cézanne at Verdier’s retrospective exhibition at Musée Granet, Aix-en-Provence, 2019.
Fabienne Verdier lives and works in France and Canada. She is represented in the UK by Waddington Custot.
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Works
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Fabienne Verdier, Montagne Sainte-Victoire, depuis le plateau de Bibémus, 2018
acrylic and mixed media on canvas
178 x 355 cm
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Fabienne Verdier, Balle de match 3, 2017
commissioned for Roland Garros 2018 tournament, acrylic and mixed media on vellum
184 x 134 cm
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Fabienne Verdier, Polyphonie - Palimpseste 1, 2017
acrylic and mixed media on canvas
183 x 136 cm
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Fabienne Verdier, White Propagation II, 2016
acrylic and mixed media on canvas
72 x 143 in
183 x 363 cm
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Fabienne Verdier , Walking Painting / Rouge, 2015
acrylic paint and mixed media on Moulin de Gué paper
183 × 268 cm
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Fabienne Verdier, L’un, 2012
acrylic and mixed media on canvas
165 x 355 cm
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Fabienne Verdier, Silencieuse coincidence, 2010
An installation view of 'Crossing Signs', a retrospective at Hong Kong City Hall, 2014.
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Fabienne Verdier , Vide - Vibration, 2016
acrylic and mixed media on canvas
120 x 251 cm
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Video
Fabienne Verdier: Vortex
Exhibitions and Art Fairs
Frieze Viewing Room
Fabienne Verdier
5–14 May 2021
On the occasion of Frieze New York 2021, Waddington Custot celebrates the work of French abstract painter Fabienne Verdier. The solo presentation focuses on Verdier’s expression of the way in which sound energy, created by vibrations, moves through substances, inspired by her experience as the first artist in residence at The Juilliard School, New York in 2014During her residency, Fabienne would join the practice sessions of musicians and singers and attempt to capture the music she heard as a visible manifestation on the page, as she described: “I closed my eyes and I heard something and I got a totally new vision of what sound is. A new structure appeared in my brain: I discovered a new form, a new dynamism which was a real revolution in my painting.”
This idea was further developed the following year with ‘Vide Vibration’ part of a commission by the Roberts French Dictionary, in which Verdier considers silence as a kind of inhabited emptiness, preparing our mind to the relative movement of sound energy.
Also included in the Frieze New York presentation are large scale paintings in a restricted palette of just two colours, including the ‘Infra-Red’ series in blue and red. With this combination, Verdier makes reference to the edges of the light spectrum as perceived by the human eye, and the light which remains on the retina, still ‘seen’ when the eyes are closed. In this respect, Verdier was interested in the impact of light energy on our bodies, as compared to the effect of sound energy, and the continued effect of the vibrations of music once a piece of music is stopped.
In 2020, Verdier returned to the arias she had been inspired by at the Juilliard School to create the ‘Vortex’ series. For these large scale canvases, Verdier prepares the background over several weeks with: a single colour, worked into the surface. The single gestural motif is created with an immense brush, suspended from the ceiling of her studio by a thick chain. In the ‘Vortex’ paintings on view here, the gesture takes the form of a whirling helix, painted in response to the operatic scaling of sopranos and altos performing Mozart arias.
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Work on Paper
Chu Teh-Chun, Hans Hartung, Pierre Soulages, Fabienne Verdier and Zao Wou-Ki
25 February–18 March 2021
Waddington Custot presents ‘Work on Paper’. This online exhibition features paintings by five major figures associated with French art: Chu Teh-Chun, Hans Hartung, Pierre Soulages, Fabienne Verdier and Zao Wou-Ki. All engage with ideas of lyrical abstraction and Tachisme, movements that thrived in Paris in the mid-20th century. Their balanced and elegant compositions are charged with a mastery of gesture and quick execution. These artists were deeply inspired by nature, and the paintings are each a personal expression of the living world.
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Fabienne Verdier: Vortex
6 October–24 November 2020
Waddington Custot present 'Vortex', a remarkable new series by the celebrated contemporary abstract painter, Fabienne Verdier. Through her work, Verdier gives physical form to the usually invisible and intangible forces...
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Frieze New York
Online Viewing Room
6–15 May 2020
Waddington Custot participates in the inaugural edition of Frieze Viewing Room, showcasing a range of works specifically selected to experience in the digital realm. Preview days takes place on 6 May from 10am EDT / 3pm BST and 7 May from 11am / 4pm BST. The public opening is from 8–15 May, starting at 11am BST / 4pm BST, closing on the 15 May at 7pm BST / 12am BST. This diverse presentation of artworks spans several decades, with pieces connecting through a multitude of points. Read more
Taipei Connections
A new online initiative by Taipei Dangdai
2–10 May 2020
Waddington Custot participates in Taipei Connections, a new online initiative by Taipei Dangdai. For the inaugural edition, Waddington Custot showcases a curated selection of works that reflect the gallery’s rich...
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Art Basel Hong Kong
Online Viewing Room
20–25 March 2020
Waddington Custot are participating in the inaugural Art Basel Hong Kong Online Viewing Rooms, which open for a limited time extending beyond the fair’s original dates, enabling us to share with you a strong selection of the works of exceptional quality originally destined for the fair.Our presentation includes works by Chu Teh-Chun, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Peter Blake, Ian Davenport, Jean Dubuffet, Barry Flanagan, Hans Hartung, Pierre Soulages and Fabienne Verdier. Read more
Taipei Dangdai
17–19 January 2020
For the gallery’s inaugural participation in Taipei Dangdai, Waddington Custot presents a booth that reflects its rich heritage and expertise in modern and contemporary art.
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Fabienne Verdier
Sur les terres de Cézanne
21 June–13 October 2019
Critical acclaim for Fabienne Verdier: Sur les terres de Cézanne 'One of the most extraordinary French painters of today…This retrospective at the Granet Museum is magnificent'. Le Point...
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Fabienne Verdier
Rhythms and Reflections
25 November 2016–11 February 2017
This November, Waddington Custot is proud to present Fabienne Verdier’s (b. 1962, Paris) first solo exhibition in London. The exhibition will feature large-scale abstract paintings produced over the last year....
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News
Monumental Sculpture at Château Saint-Maur
July 9 2021
Fabienne Verdier for Frieze Viewing Room
May 4 2021
FIAC Online Viewing Rooms Now Open
Explore our digital presentation
March 3 2021
Our new digital exhibition ‘Work on Paper’ opens today online
February 25 2021
‘Vortex’ selected for Publication Award final
Winning publication to be chosen this Friday
November 19 2020
Late opening this evening
The gallery will be open until 8pm today
4 November 2020
Waddington Custot launches Vortex app
Learn about the work of Fabienne Verdier through exhibition app now available on the App Store
21 October 2020
Lord Mayor of Westminster visits 'Fabienne Verdier: Vortex'
October 6 2020
Watch 'Fabienne Verdier: Vortex Live' Today, 5pm
Digital Event | Tuesday 6 October 2020, 5pm-5.30pm Part of the Frieze VIP Programme
October 6 2020
Fabienne Verdier: ‘À voix nue’ on France Culture
A series of interviews with Jérôme Clément from 14-18 September
September 14 2020
Waddington Custot participates in Taipei Connections
2-10 May 2020
April 29 2020
Inaugural Art Basel Hong Kong online viewing rooms launch in March 2020
18 March 2020
Record visitor figures for Fabienne Verdier
January 22 2020
La Poste issue new stamp designed by Verdier
18 November 2019
Fabienne Verdier retrospective extended due to popular demand
Musée Granet show extended to 5 January 2020
November 11 2019
Fabienne Verdier at the Musee Granet
Sur les terres de Cézanne
21 June 2019
Fabienne Verdier: Ainsi la nuit
Galerie Lelong, Paris
22 November 2018
Fabienne Verdier at the Kunsthalle Krems
As part of the Hubert Looser collection
June 29 2018
Fabienne Verdier designs the poster for Roland Garros 2018
March 29 2018
Art Basel Hong Kong
Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center
29–31 March 2018
The Experience of Language
Institut et Musée Voltaire, Geneva
3 November–10 December 2017
Fabienne Verdier illustrates the 50th anniversary edition of the Petit Robert French Dictionary
Published: 17 August 2017
Fabienne Verdier meets Sigmar Polke. Talking Lines
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich
1 June–8 October 2017
Fabienne Verdier at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2017
Aix-en-Provence, France
3—22 July 2017
Art Basel Hong Kong
Convention & Exhibition Centre, 1 Harbour Road, Hong Kong
23–25 March 2017
Art Dubai
Madinat Jumeirah, Al Sufouh Road, Dubai
15–18 March
TEFAF Maastricht
MECC Maastricht
10–19 March 2017
'The Juilliard Experiment' screening at Libreria
Libreria, London
7:00pm-9:00pm, Thursday 16 February
'The Juilliard Experiment' followed by Q&A with Fabienne Verdier
Ciné Lumière, Institut Français, London
4.20pm, Saturday 14 January 2017
Fabienne Verdier Soundscapes – The Juilliard Experiment
Patrick Derom Gallery, Brussels
1 December 2016–11 February 2017
The New York Times features Fabienne Verdier's 'Rhythms & Reflections'
by Hettie Judah
16 November 2016
Fabienne Verdier to join the Pinakothek der Moderne Collection
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich
12 May 2016
Fabienne Verdier in 'The Looser Collection. Dialogues.'
Museum Folkwang, Essen
28 April–30 October 2016
Fabienne Verdier in She Inspires Art
Bonhams, London
Wednesday 16th September 2015
Fabienne Verdier L'oeil écoute
Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne
9 May–25 July 2015
Harper's Bazaar exclusive interview with Fabienne Verdier
By Kim Reyes
March 12 2015
Fabienne Verdier's 'The Juilliard Experiment'
2014
Fabienne Verdier
Pinakothek der Moderne at Herrenchiemsee Palace, Munich
12 July – 28 September 2014
Fabienne Verdier: Crossing Signs
Hong Kong City Hall
13 May - 8 June 2014
Fabienne Verdier: The Spirit of Painting: A Tribute to the Flemish Renaissance
Groeninge Museum, Bruges
4 May–25 August 2013
Press
Publications
Fabienne Verdier
Vortex
Fabienne Verdier
Rhythms and Reflections
Fabienne Verdier: L’Esprit de la Peinture
Hommage aux Maîtres Flamands
