Bernard Aubertin French, 1934-2015

The monochrome red which characterises Aubertin’s work is used by the artist as a colour able to reflect the idea of blood and fire as a symbol of life, but that can also allow, at the same time, something of a depersonalisation of the art and a 'technique of anonymity'. 

Having become frustrated with the Parisian artistic scene Aubertin (b. 1934 Boulay, France - d. 2015 Reutlingen, Germany) moved to Germany where he contributed to the ZERO Group. In the decades after, he developed the concept of 'Tableaux-clou' (nail-paintings) throughout the 1960s, which subsequently evolved into the 'Tableaux-feu' (fire-paintings), marking his transition to the ephemeral; the canvas, consisting of matches, lighting up with live and real flame.