Jean Messagier - color lithograph | '3 Mille Feuilles Rent Hommage à Van Gogh' | 1978

An extraordinarily beautiful, dynamic, and highly poetic graphic work by the prominent French artist, painter, and printmaker Jean Messagier (1920–1999). This monumental and colorful work from 1978 is a magnificent example of his unique style, which balances on the cutting edge of lyrical abstraction, informal art, and expressionism.

The print bears the intriguing and handwritten French title: '3 mille feuilles rendent hommage à Van Gogh' (Three thousand leaves pay tribute to Van Gogh). Messagier, whose work is deeply rooted in celebrating nature and its rhythms, presents a masterful ode to Vincent van Gogh here. In the composition, we see Messagier's characteristic swirling, almost musical linework. Two monumental, wing-like forms filled with stylized ears of corn frame a centrally situated building (referencing the asylum or the small church in Auvers-sur-Oise, so iconic for Van Gogh's final months). The explosion of sunny yellow, fiery orange, and the contrasting bright red and blue accents immediately evoke the association with the shimmering color palette and the spirited dynamism of Van Gogh's cornfields. A visual feast full of movement, light, and art-historical depth.


The whole is in neat condition. Signed in pencil by the artist in the lower right corner.