Jean Pierre DURIEZ
1969, a decisive year: the artist’s mother dies. He meets Picasso. These two events, one fundamental and the other exceptional, will determine his career. He is 20 years old.
Starting the free courses at the Beaux Arts in Paris (Atelier Singier) with Morio Matsui, a japanese painter for whom he will create two exhibition posters at Bernheim-Jeune /Paris and the Fondation Jean Prouvost / Marcq-en-Barœul.
In 1973, Jean-Pierre Duriez becomes assistant to the photographer Jean-Pierre Durel for an Encyclopedia on history of art, ed. Gakken/Tokyo. This adventure will take him around the world until 1975. At this time, invited on the French Riviera by Ernest Pignon and Hélène Parmelin, he discovers the private universe of Picasso, continuing as an art and artist photographer, for Paris match: Henry Moore, César, Bernard buffet… But also, Aragon, Joseph Kessel, Françoise Sagan… and many others.
Working also for L’Express, with Pierre Schneider, he did a photo report, at St Jean Cap Ferrat, on Matisse painted walls in Henri Tériade’s house (editor of the famous art magazine « Le Minotaure ».)
1976: in Jerusalem, a first mural of 3 x 4m for the house of the poet Veli Frischman.
In Rome, he discovers theatre as an actor, in Alessandro Fersen studio.
1977: invitation card for Nicole Millet exhibition of painting/sculpture: it is the emergence of the first « heads » by Duriez, quite influenced by its Italian theatrical incursion.
1978: first exhibition in Cheltenham (England).
First shooting as an actor in “3 pas en avant, 3 pas en arrière », written and directed by his wife, Jackye Fryszman.
From 1979 to 1984: Duriez stops photography and partly painting for other passions: cinema and cooking ! He opens with his wife a restaurant-gallery « Les coulisses du Vieux-Sèvres » and designs the logo: a cinema projector. The “spotlight” years begin.
From 1985 to 2004: he moves to Rome where theatre and cinema call him back as an actor. He also produces a series of films about the big luxury hotels and restaurants of the world, meets the Michelin starred chefs of gastronomy who will nourish his inspiration sustainably. During all these years, he will fill his sketchbooks…
From 2005 on: between Naples and Paris/Sèvres, he devotes himself for good to painting.
His « spotlight » period inspires him in paintings such as « la dernière séance » ;« projection privée » ;« mes amis » ; and the series « musicos ».
From 2006 to 2009: exhibitions in Paris « Cinema, Music and the cooks » at Gallery « Le Parnassien»; The Ranelagh Theatre ; Studio Crampont ; Gallery Porté.
Guest of honor at the Salon du « Livre Gourmand » in Périgueux.
Will follow several exhibitions on the theme of gastronomy
- Art Contemporain Sèvres
- Hotel Castille Rue Cambon, Paris
- Gallery La Cornue, Paris
Other exhibitions
- Salon art capital, Grand Palais, Paris
- Gallery Caméléon, Antibes
- Room Jean Despas, St Tropez
- Hotel San-Francesco al Monte, Naples
- Galerie CA’d’Oro / Antonio Porcella, Rome
(selected by the A.R.G.A.M, (Associazione Romana Gallerie d’Arte Moderna).
2009: meets Antonio Porcella with whose gallery he exhibits Galerie CA ‘ d’Oro/Rome (selected by the A. R.G.A.M, (Associazione Romana Gallerie d’Arte Moderna).
2010: starts a series of exhibitions through several Italian galleries, including Hotel Baglioni/Rome.
He paints a portrait of Giorgio de Chirico in the green dress of academician for « a tribute to de Chirico », organized by Gloria Porcella and Lamberto Petrecca, the CA’d’Oro Gallery and the Giorgio and Isa de Chirico Foundation. This exhibition inaugurated in Rome at the Campidoglio, went on tour to Miami, New York University, and Los Angeles.
2011: writer Claude Faggianelli uses the painting « les yeux bandés » for the cover of his novel « mauvais comme la Gale ».
Exhibition at the Biennale A.R.G.A.M at the Museo Venanzo Crocetti/Rome.
Guest of honor for the Prix Capri, he exhibits at the hotel « La Palma »/Capri.
Personal exhibition at the Teatro de Castelnuovo.
Exhibition at the « Yacht Club de Monaco ».
Exhibition at the Galerie Caméléon/Antibes.
Exhibitions at Galeries and unusual places/St Tropez.
2012: permanent exhibition Gallery Ca’D’oro.
Exhibiton: « Reggia di Caserta ».
Exhibition: Gallery DNA « Marateacontemporanea »(Maratea)
Graffiti Polistrato, School of Grafitto/ Montemurro.
2013: He takes part in the exhibition « Omaggio to Giuseppe Verdi » from Italy to the USA (Galleria Ca’D’oro, Rome, and Ajaccio/Corse).
Tour “Le Città dei Cuochi” with the Neapolitan Economist Pasquale Persico.
Collaboration with Patrizia Grieco, in residence in Rufoli gives birth to dozens of “terracotta” heads carved by Grieco from the drawings of Duriez, and painted by him.
2014: personal exhibitions at the Museum of Rufoli.
Gallery DNA «Marateacontemporanea»
Museum of religious art Ravello.
Creation of painted chairs.
« Cuisine et Couleurs » at the restaurant Flora Danica/Paris.
2015: exhibition in Saulieu: Atelier Correia.
Exhibition for the ACOMER in Gouloux/Burgundy.
Personal exhibition at the Museum of Rufoli. Creation of painted vases.
Exhibition at MUM Museo Ugo Marano in Ferrara.
2016: exhibition « Bon appétit », Art Contemporain Sèvres, Galerie Loubat.
Itinerant exhibition in italian theatres about Toto, the famous Italian actor.
One-month residence in Zunyi (China) with a delegation of 50 selected French artists.
- Exhibition in the city of Zunyi, China
- Opening of the Museum of the city of Tucheng-Guizhou, China, permanent collection.
Tribute to Giorgio de Chirico
“After the metaphysics” together with Matteo Fraterno,
«Città del ragazzo» Ferrara.
Gallery Bowinkel, Naples (Permanent exhibition, oils and drawings)
Exposition Villamare FilmFestival 2016
2017:
- Artists ‘ residence in Longzou. China
- Opening of the Longzou Museum. China (permanent collection)
Exhibition F.I.G: Golf di Napoli
Gallery Bowinkel, Naples (Permanent exhibition of drawings)
« La Città dei cuochi et la Città moltiplicata » with Ugo Marano
Palazzo Turchi di Bagno, sede del Sistema Museale di Ateneo. Università di Ferrara.
Exhibition «Villamare FilmFestival» 2017
Permanent exhibition Maratea
Exhibition » Circolo dei Negozianti » Ferrara
International Fair of Museum restoration. Ferrara
Exhibition « Capitolium art” Brescia
Permanent Exhibition «Città del ragazzo» Ferrara.
Opening of the Duriez studio in Sèvres
2018:
Tribute to Paul Bocuse « Monsieur Paul »
Grancia di Crapolla (Vico Equense Na)
« La Città dei cuochi » (Itinerant exhibition: Università del vino: the bottle that speaks)
Permanent exhibition: Lindau Bodensee (Germany)
2019:
Galleria Bowinkel (permanent exhibition of drawings)
Art Capital Paris
La Fabrica del vino Arcobelano Cairano (Campanie)
Gallery DNA Maratea (édition) «L’uomo del caleidoscopo»
Exhibition Restaurant Yumara (Maratea): «Bocuse viene del mare»
Artist residence at Shangjin museum, China
Exhibition Art Contemporain Sèvres: 40 years of drawings.
Exhibition KUBA Wasserburg (Germany)
What they say about him
Jean-Pierre always vibrates for the inner movement of beings, a little Chagall, a little Soutine himself. Jean-Pierre speaks in pictures, they project in his mind and when he speaks the images are formed around him.
A bit expressionist, a little surrealist, Duriez makes art “a school of vision”. And he grabs sequences of images that are the mystery of simplicity.
When the paintings of Duriez come alive, the cooks, the musicians, the bishops, and the girls of bad life that he throws on the canvas, they become the children of the image civilization, the characters of an Italian film eternally filming.
His painting, always rich in roots and secrets, succeeds to make us feel the breath of soul behind the mask of the people, but also the things portrayed that Duriez « collects » through the influence of artists such as Chagall, De Chirico or Matisse.
« You didn’t leave the cinema for the world of painting, because you were born a painter. »
To be an artist is to possess this inner world that reflects reality through a sharp gaze of ogre able to swallow everything and then spit it transformed into matter to dream. You are an artist, Jean-Pierre, a magician who continually reinvents reality, your reality, through your protean experience.
Duriez’s drawings are the honesty of art. As the sculptor Patrizia Grieco says, « the drawings of Duriez seemed to be a breeze, but in reality, are a tornado, artistic contamination was inevitable. » Result: according to the drawings of Duriez and painted by him, 40 busts were born in the antique furnaces of Rufoli (1479). Duriez creates antibodies with his drawings and paintings to combat the melancholy of the digital.
Picasso said he spent his whole life looking “to draw like a child”, to find the very first, spontaneous gesture. Duriez never lost it.
What is this famous child gesture? A confident, innocent artist stroke, without calculation or even thinking, almost without reason, where reason in any case has no other place than desire and dream.
Duriez wakes up in the morning and says, “I had a dream”. Or: I don’t know why, but I thought of that. This « that » is almost manifested as a daydream. It can be someone familiar or not that arises, the taste of a good meal on the tip of the tongue, the detail of a garment, a specific color, a fool in the subway, a dazzling memory of theater or cinema, funny and strange faces everywhere, as well as anecdotes back from the past…
Then he goes to his Studio.
At the door, he leaves his adult’s eyes and brain with their strata like a « mille-feuille » that hold fears and inhibitions in his sticky nets.
Instead, from the depths, emerge his childish soul and gaze, like a little but powerful devil gushing out of his box!
This is the moment when the artist puts on his painter blouse that hides in its doublet as a magic cape the secret of the first wonder.
Now he is ready to draw the dream of the night or the thought of the day.
All he has left to do, now, is just to let himself be guided by his hand and its mystery, and nothing else, since his brain is asleep like a cat rolled into a ball on the doormat. Don’t wake him up… And let’s have a dream with him, Jean-Pierre DURIEZ. Let us be carried away by his unique, greedy, playful, generous, and quirky style, let us make a poetic journey in the heart of his funny humanity.
