Huguette Arthur Bertrand

Born in 1920 in Écouen, Huguette Arthur Bertrand grew up in Roanne, in the Loire region, an area deeply rooted in textile traditions. From an early age, she stood out for her talent in drawing, winning medals at the Concours Général in 1936 and 1937.

After the Second World War, she moved to Paris, where she attended the free Académie de la Grande Chaumière. A grant enabled her to spend time in Prague between 1946 and 1947, where she met the painter Joseph Sima.

From 1949 onwards, she exhibited at the Salon de Mai and joined the group Les Mains éblouies at Galerie Maeght. She was one of the few women involved in lyrical abstraction, a movement that included artists such as Pierre Soulages, Hans Hartung, Zao Wou-Ki, and Chu Teh-Chun.

Her work evolved over the decades, moving from structured compositions to more fluid and luminous fields. She favored warm colors such as browns, reds, and oranges, and explored a wide range of techniques, including gouache, ink, collage, and tapestry.

Arthur Bertrand’s painting is characterized by an energetic, almost calligraphic gesture that combines rigor with freedom. Her brushstrokes often unfold like woven threads or rhythmic pulsations, echoing both the textile heritage of her native region and the improvisational spirit of postwar abstraction. Unlike some of her male contemporaries who emphasized monumental force or dramatic contrasts, Arthur Bertrand brought a more intimate luminosity to the canvas, balancing warmth and vitality with subtle structuring. This interplay between tension and openness gives her work a distinctive place within lyrical abstraction, marking her as a painter who translated movement, texture, and inner rhythm into a unique visual language.

Huguette Arthur Bertrand passed away in Paris in 2005. Today, her work is held in numerous public and private collections, bearing witness to her essential role in the history of abstract art.