Camille Bryen

Letter by Camille Bryen to Nesto Jacometti - Mid-20th Century

Mid-20th Century

Camille Bryen, pseudonym of Camille Briand, was born in Nantes on 17 September 1907. He was a member of the Nouvelle École de Paris and belonged to the currents of lyrical abstraction and tachism. In the years 1925-1927, Camille Briand was part of the Nantes bohemian scene, using the pseudonym "Aristide", no doubt in allusion to his illustrious namesake, also of Nantes origin. He appeared on the cover of the Revue nantaise in April 1927, portrayed by Henri Bouyer, with the comment: "Type nantais, le Bohème Aristide". In the years 1925-1927, Camille Briand was part of the Nantes bohemian scene, using the pseudonym "Aristide", no doubt in allusion to his illustrious namesake, also of Nantes origin. He appeared on the cover of the Revue nantaise in April 1927, portrayed by Henri Bouyer, with the comment: "Type nantais, le Bohème Aristide".In 1948, he organised the first exhibition of "lyrical abstraction" in which Hans Hartung, Wols, Gérard Schneider and Georges Mathieu took part. He then turned to engraving and, in 1949, oil painting. In 1950, he published Héréphile and then turned away from literature to devote himself entirely to painting and engraving. From the 1950s onwards, Bryen regularly held solo exhibitions in France and abroad and took part in numerous salons, biennials and group exhibitions. In his work, always free of allusion, the discreet fields of colour, structured by fine sprays, create a poetic climate that ensures its originality. He died in Paris on 8 May 1977. As a tribute to Bryen, a stamp reproducing one of his works, Précambrien, was issued by the French Post Office on 14 September 1987 (value 5 francs). Bryen was one of the painters included in the exhibition "L'envolée lyrique, Paris 1945-1956" presented in Paris at the Musée du Luxembourg in 2006.