Raymond Hains

Born in 1926 in Saint-Brieuc, France.
Died in 2005 in Paris.
Since his begining, his work is marked by the conception of a total universe, in constant reference to photography and language.
In 1946, he took his first abstract photos multiplying images by mirror effect, the year after he worked on a camera lens which allowed him to burst images; and on the same principle, he worked from 1950 to 54 on a animated movie "Pénélope”.
In 1949, he discovered the plastic impact of the posters torn up on walls and fences. He exposed the "Palissade des emplacements réservés" at the first Biennale de Paris in 1959. He was particularly interested from 49 to 61 in the political posters which constitued the series of "La France déchirée".
The 27th October 1960, he signed the manifesto of the Nouveaux Réalistes. With the "Néo-Dada emballé ou l'art de se tailler en palissade" exhibited in 1963 to the Salon Comparaisons, he took distances from the Nouveaux Réalistes, the artists becoming for him symbolic beings, "des abstractions personnifiées".
Since 1964, he made numerous stays in Italy where he realized his huge matches and the Biennale éclatée. He lived between Paris and Nice.
Travelling in time and space, images and words, he created, by a game of verbal coincidences, linguistic cabal, a personal mythology which combines emblematically places and characters, artists, traders, critics, curators... Among others: "L'âne vêtu de la peau de lion" in the gallery del Leone (Venice), "La manne de San Andrea" in the gallery San Andrea (Milan), " Tribute to the Marquis de Bièvre " in Fondation Cartier (Jouy-en-Josas), "Pâris-Paris" in Troyes, "Guide des collections permanentes ou mises en pli" to the Georges Pompidou Center, etc…
He participated at many international exhibitions, among which the Documenta IV and X; Paris Paris and Paris New York to the Georges Pompidou Center, Westkunst, Bilderstreit in Cologne, Guggenheim in New York.
Four solo exhibitions of Raymond Hains took place at the gallery Lara Vincy: Art at Vinci in 1976, Jonier Marin in Beaubourg? in 1986, Holiday photographs in 1989 and De l'art à Vinci aux Vedettes du Pont Neuf in 2004.