Aurelie Nemours

Key facts

Lived

1910–2005, French^[1]

Works held in

3 museums

Wikipedia

View article

Plan your visit to see Aurelie Nemours →

• What is Aurelie Nemours known for?+

  Aurelie Nemours is known for her geometric abstract paintings, which often feature horizontal and vertical planes, right angles, and rectangles. Her visual vocabulary was similar to De Stijl in its convictions, but she arrived at her style independently.
• What is Aurelie Nemours's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to identify one single work as Aurelie Nemours's "most famous". Her body of work consists of many pieces exploring geometric abstraction. Nemours's practice involved rigorous systems. She worked primarily with squares and rectangles, exploring colour relationships and spatial arrangements. Her art often evokes a sense of mathematical precision and visual harmony. Some notable pieces include *Rythme du carré*, and many of her compositions featuring intersecting or juxtaposed blocks of colour. However, pinpointing one definitive "most famous" work is challenging because her reputation rests on the consistency and quality of her overall output, not a single iconic image. Her contribution lies in her systematic investigation of form and colour within a defined geometric vocabulary.
• What should I know about Aurelie Nemours's prints?+

  Aurelie Nemours (1910^[1]-2005^[1]) was a French^[1] artist known for her abstract geometric compositions, often exploring the interplay of colour and form. When considering her prints, it's useful to understand some basic print terminology. A 'period print' is one made within roughly 10 to 15 years after the original image was created; a 'modern print' is a more recent print made from the original negative. An 'original print' is one made by the artist or under their direct supervision. Prints are often produced in limited editions, with the number of prints specified. Different types of proofs may exist, such as artist's proofs (often signed by the artist) or lettered proofs (with a lightly engraved title). The market for prints operates somewhat differently than for unique works; prices for identical prints can vary significantly across different markets due to condition, quality, and market fluctuations.
• What style or movement did Aurelie Nemours belong to?+

  Aurélie Nemours (born in 1910^[1]; died in 2005^[1]) was a French^[1] artist whose work aligns with geometric abstraction and Concrete Art. These movements reject representational art. Instead, they focus on non-objective forms, lines, and colours as the primary subject matter. Nemours's practice involved rigorous geometric systems. She explored mathematical relationships in her compositions. Her work often features precise lines, squares, and carefully considered colour palettes. Nemours aimed to create art that was objective and universal, free from subjective expression. Geometric abstraction, which emerged in the early 20th century, includes artists who, like Nemours, reduced natural forms to basic geometric shapes. Concrete Art, a term coined by Theo van Doesburg, further emphasised abstraction by using only geometric elements and pure colours to construct non-representational compositions.
• What techniques or materials did Aurelie Nemours use?+

  Aurelie Nemours is known for her geometric abstract art, often executed in a hard-edge style. She worked primarily in painting and printmaking. Nemours favoured simple geometric forms, such as squares, rectangles, and lines. These shapes were arranged in precise, mathematically derived compositions. Her paintings often feature a limited colour palette, with a focus on the relationships between colours and their effect on the viewer. She explored seriality and variation within a defined system. Nemours's prints are typically screenprints or lithographs. These allowed her to achieve clean lines and flat areas of colour, consistent with her artistic vision. She was interested in the interplay of positive and negative space, and how this could create a sense of depth and movement. Her work demonstrates an interest in mathematical principles and the use of geometry to create visual harmony. She aimed to create art that was objective and universal, rather than expressive of personal emotion.
• What was Aurelie Nemours known for?+

  Aurelie Nemours (1910^[1]-2005^[1]) was a French^[1] artist known for her abstract geometric art. She worked primarily in painting and printmaking. Nemours's style is characterised by the use of simple geometric shapes, such as squares, rectangles, and lines, arranged in precise compositions. Her work often explores the relationships between colours and forms, creating a sense of balance and harmony. She was associated with the Concrete Art movement, which rejected representational art in favour of non-objective forms. Nemours's artistic career spanned several decades, and her work has been exhibited internationally. She is recognised as an important figure in the development of abstract art in France. Her pieces demonstrate a rigorous approach to composition, with careful consideration given to the placement and interaction of each element.
• When did Aurelie Nemours live and work?+

  Aurelie Nemours was born in Paris on 29 October 1910^[1]. She originally studied piano, and then trained in art and design at the Academie Ranson (1937^[1]-38) and the Atelier Paul Colin (1938-39). Nemours's early paintings were figurative, but around 1949 she began to move towards abstraction. Her mature work is characterised by geometric forms, often in black and white or a limited range of colours. She worked in series, exploring permutations of simple forms and mathematical relationships. Nemours was associated with the Concrete Art movement, which rejected illusionism and aimed for clarity and objectivity. She exhibited internationally from the 1950s onwards, and her work is held in numerous public collections. Nemours continued to work until her death in Paris on 27 January 2005^[1], at the age of 94.
• Where can I see Aurelie Nemours's work?+

  Aurelie Nemours's works can be viewed in several museums. In the United States, these include the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (Minneapolis), the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In Canada, her work is at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. In the United Kingdom, you can find her pieces at the Bakelite Museum (Williton), the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery (Brighton), the Geffrye Museum (London), the Manchester Art Gallery (Manchester), the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), and the Victoria & Albert Museum (London). In Europe, consult listings for the Museo Art Nouveau y Art Deco (Salamanca, Spain), the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (Lisbon, Portugal), the Museu d’Art Modern (Barcelona, Spain), the Brangwyn Museum (Brugge, Belgium), the Clockarium Museum (Brussels, Belgium), the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie (Roubaix, France), the Musée de l’Ecole de Nancy (Nancy, France), the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris, France), and the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Nancy, France).
• Who did Aurelie Nemours influence?+

  Aurelie Nemours's influence is complex to trace directly. Her abstract geometric style, with its emphasis on mathematical precision and limited colour palettes, aligns with broader trends in post-war abstraction. Nemours began her artistic career relatively late, achieving wider recognition in the 1980s. This timing means her impact is perhaps more visible on later generations of artists working in geometric abstraction and minimalism. Her focus on the relationship between form and space, explored through carefully calculated compositions, resonates with artists interested in similar spatial and perceptual concerns. While specific artists might not explicitly cite Nemours as a direct influence, her work contributes to the ongoing dialogue within abstract art. Her exploration of seriality, seen in her repeated use of simple geometric forms, can be linked to similar approaches in conceptual art. Therefore, Nemours's effect is more likely diffused across a range of practices that engage with the legacy of abstraction, geometry, and seriality in contemporary art.
• Who influenced Aurelie Nemours?+

  Aurelie Nemours (1910^[1]-2005^[1]) developed a non-figurative style after the Second World War. Her early work of the 1940s still showed traces of figuration; however, by 1949^[1], she was creating abstract works using geometric forms. Nemours was interested in mathematical systems of proportion, such as the Golden Ratio. These interests connect her to the theories of art and design developed at the Bauhaus school in Germany during the 1920s. The Bauhaus promoted the idea of rationalised design, based on simple geometric forms and primary colours. Nemours's black-and-white paintings of the 1960s show the influence of Piet Mondrian. Mondrian was a member of the De Stijl group, who also worked with geometric abstraction. De Stijl artists believed that their style could act as a universal visual language, suitable for the modern age. Like Mondrian, Nemours reduced her palette to basic colours and simple shapes. She explored how these elements could create spatial effects and optical illusions.
• Who was Aurelie Nemours?+

  Aurelie Nemours (1910^[1]-2005^[1]) was a French^[1] artist, best known for her geometric abstract paintings and prints. Nemours's work often explored the relationships between colour and form, using a restricted palette and precise compositions. She was associated with the Concrete Art movement, which rejected representational art in favour of non-objective abstraction. Nemours studied art at the Académie Julian and the Atelier Fernand Léger in Paris. Her early work was influenced by Cubism and Constructivism. After World War II, she developed her mature style, characterised by hard-edged geometric shapes and a focus on mathematical principles. Nemours's work has been exhibited internationally, and is included in the collections of major museums. She also produced theoretical writings on art and abstraction.
• Why are Aurelie Nemours's works important today?+

  Aurelie Nemours (1910^[1]-2005^[1]) was a French^[1] artist known for her geometric abstract paintings and prints. She is associated with Concrete Art, a movement that rejected representational art in favour of non-objective forms. Nemours's importance lies in her exploration of geometric forms and colour relationships. Her compositions, often based on mathematical principles, explore the interplay of lines, squares, and rectangles. Colour is carefully considered, with Nemours often limiting her palette to a few carefully chosen hues. She aimed to create art that was objective and universal, free from personal expression. Although she began her artistic career later in life, she became a significant figure in the development of post-war abstraction. Her work can be seen as part of a broader trend towards geometric abstraction in the mid-20th century. She was interested in seriality and mathematical sequences, and her work shares affinities with that of artists such as Max Bill and Richard Lohse. Her art continues to be relevant for its rigorous exploration of form and colour, and for its contribution to the development of Concrete Art.