Clearing capped off 2023 with the opening of a retrospective of work by the late French artist Loïc Raguénès, who passed away suddenly in 2022 at the age of 54. Raguénès was known in France and abroad as a masterful painter who had a penchant for the romance of nature, often drawing inspiration from the ocean, the countryside, and our planetary systems. By layering paint, Raguénès experiments with both the figuration and abstraction of his images, while never committing to either style, creating one that was entirely his own.
Raguénès was born in Besançon in 1968, and became a student of the city’s Beaux-Arts institute, where he developed his contemplative and atmospheric style. Throughout his life, he was the subject of exhibitions at several European institutions such as the De Brock in Belgium, Galeria Zero in Milan, and Circuit in Lausanne, Switzerland. As it stands, this is the most comprehensive showing of his work in the United States. Below, take a look at some of the defining works of Raguénès’s career, as put together by the team at Clearing.
Loïc Raguénès’s “Only a Grain of Sand”. © JSP Art Photography. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles.
Loïc Raguénès’s “Only a Grain of Sand”. © JSP Art Photography. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles.
Loïc Raguénès, Reine-des-bois, 2017.Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles.
Loïc Raguénès, Lent, 2020. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles.
Loïc Raguénès’s “Only a Grain of Sand”. © JSP Art Photography. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles.
Loïc Raguénès, Untitled, 2016. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles
Loïc Raguénès, Time’s Up, 2022. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles.
Loïc Raguénès, Derviches Tourneurs #1, #2, #3, and #4 , 2005. © JSP Art Photography. Courtesy of the artist and C L E A R I N G, New York / Brussels / Los Angeles.
More Trending Stories:
Art Dealers Christina and Emmanuel Di Donna on Their Special Holiday Rituals
Stefanie Heinze Paints Richly Ambiguous Worlds. Collectors Are Obsessed
Inspector Schachter Uncovers Allegations Regarding the Latest Art World Scandal—And It’s a Doozy
Archaeologists Call Foul on the Purported Discovery of a 27,000-Year-Old Pyramid
The Sprawling Legal Dispute Between Yves Bouvier and Dmitry Rybolovlev Is Finally Over