Biography
Waddington Custot returns to Art Geneve for 2025 with two major presentations: a special solo presentation of Parisian artist Sam Szafran (1934–2019) and an exhibition spotlighting of modern and contemporary masterworks.
Parisian artist Sam Szafran holds a unique position in the history of late 20th-century art. His work, rooted in a deeply personal and figurative exploration of reality, was created in the solitude of his studio, far removed from the shifting trends of the art world. This exhibition by Waddington Custot delves into two of Szafran’s most iconic themes: the luxuriant, tangled foliage of his philodendrons, often depicted in a greenhouse or studio setting where the boundaries between indoors and outdoors blur; and his vertigo-inducing winding staircases, which seem to twist endlessly into space. These two motifs, though distinct in subject and approach, might almost seem the work of different artists, yet they spring from the same singular vision of a man born in Paris in 1934.
Swiss audiences, in particular, may find this presentation compelling, as Szafran’s work is celebrated at the Pierre Gianadda Foundation in Martigny, Switzerland. The foundation’s Pavillon Szafran houses two monumental tile masterpieces, ‘Escalier’ (2005) and ‘Philodendrons’ (2006), which are displayed on the north-west and south-east walls of the building, offering a permanent testament to his enduring legacy.
Our main booth of the fair features works by established modern and contemporary artists including: Kenia Almaraz Murillo, Jean Arp, Yves Dana, Ian Davenport, Jean Dubuffet, Barry Flanagan, Hans Hartung, Robert Indiana, René Magritte, Fausto Melotti, Pierre Soulages, Chu Teh-Chun, Sophia Vari, Bernar Venet, Fabienne Verdier and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva.
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Sam Szafran, Lilette en Ikat assise sur le banc Gaudi, 2010 watercolour and pastel on silk 47 1/4 x 61 5/8 in 120 x 156.5 cm
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Sam Szafran, Feuillages avec personnage (Foliage with figure), 1984 pastel on cardboard 47 x 31 1/2 in 119.2 x 80 x 0.01 cm
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Sam Szafran, Escalier rue de Seine (Autoportrait), c.1979-1980 pastel and gouache on paper mounted on board 30 x 22 1/2 in 76 x 57 cm
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Sam Szafran, Untitled (Staircase), 1994 watercolour on silk 46 x 35 5/8 in 117 x 90.5 cm
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Barry Flanagan, Musical Hare on Crescent and Bell, 2004 bronze 52 x 37 5/8 x 22 3/4 in 132.1 x 95.6 x 57.8 cm
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Bernar Venet, 13 Acute Unequal Angles, 2020 steel with patina 32 3/8 x 33 x 15 3/4 in 82 x 84 x 40 cm
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Hans Hartung, T1988-E20, 1988 Acrylic on canvas 60 5/8 x 98 1/2 in 154 x 250 cm
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Pierre Soulages, Peinture 73 x 60 cm, 7 mai 1975, 1975 walnut husk and acrylic-vinyl binder on canvas 28 7/8 x 23 7/8 in 73 x 60.5 cm
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Fabienne Verdier, Les aiguilles, de nuit et de silence / The needles, at night and in silence, 2023 acrylic and mixed media on canvas 72 x 85 in / 183 x 216 cm
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Jean Arp, Homme, moustache, nombril, 1927 ink and gouache on paper book cover 10 x 8 1/8 in 25.2 x 20.6 cm
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