We are excited to announce the arrival of six large abstract paintings from the studio of Marie-Cécile Aptel, a French painter whose relationship with TEW Galleries spans more than three decades. I met her and Jean-Pierre Bourquin in Rouen, France in 1987 while assembling a group of artists to represent in the United States. At the time, she had recently stopped teaching to pursue a full-time career as an artist. Her early works—figurative and medium-sized canvases depicting angular faces and fish in earth tones—were created through a process that combined paint with wax.
By the early 1990s, Aptel’s style had evolved into an enthusiastic embrace of abstraction. The work, large-scale and entirely nonrepresentational, was atypical of the figurative pieces shown by the gallery at that time. Consequently, our relationship shifted and we parted ways.
Now, we have found common ground again. Aptel has refined her vision remarkably with consciously considered color and loose, if not exuberant, mark-making. Her successful 2021 solo show at the Museum of Louviers just outside Paris enhances her newfound appeal.
Obtaining new works from Marie-Cécile took longer than expected. Covid slowed the process. I then decided to make my selection in person, finally doing so last October. We are thrilled to share this stunning collection of paintings with you. They will be on view in our downstairs mid May.
