HELENE BAILLY

Passionate about 19th and 20th centuries artistic scene, Hélène Bailly-Marcilhac moved in 2015 to 71 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in the heart of the ultimate artistic neighborhood in Paris.

The HELENE BAILLY Gallery offers an engaged and personal selection specialized in art from 1870 to the present day, which is aimed at both occasional buyers and informed collectors. Warm and welcoming, the gallery presents a program of thematic exhibitions on three levels.

The gallery reserves a special place for dialogues between the different artists and movements of the Avant-Garde in France. In this perspective, the HELENE BAILLY Gallery participates in parallel to new collaborative projects with the new contemporary art scene in order to offer a memorable and sensorial experience.  

The long-term relationship of trust built with its clients is acquired through the respect of fundamental values such as rigorous expertise and the demand for quality in the acquisition of collector’s items.  

The gallery participates in numerous international art fairs in Paris, Brussels, London, Miami and New York and also collaborates with prestigious museums (Orsay, Quai Branly, Jacquemart-André, Montmartre, l’Annonciade, Van Gogh, Thyssen-Bornemisza, MoMa).

Hélène Bailly Marcilhac is a member of the Syndicat National des Antiquaires, of the Association Nocturne Rive Droite, of the Comité Professionnel des Galeries d’Art and is an accredited expert of the Chambre Européenne des Experts-Conseils en Œuvres d’Art.

Painted in 1967 by Serge Poliakoff, “Composition abstraite” is a fascinating artwork embodying the essence of his artistic research and his talent for creating balanced and vibrating compositions.

In this oil on canvas, Poliakoff deploys a palette of vivid and intense tints mixing together on the canvas. The geometric forms overlap and intersect, which creates a captivating visual dynamic. Each color is in perfect harmony with the others, contributing to the overall balance of the composition.

The arrangement of elements in this painting reflects Poliakoff’s perfect mastery of composition. Diagonal and vertical lines intersect, lending the work a subtle visual tension. Flat tints of color are confidently deployed, creating zones of light and shadow which adds depth to the composition.

Poliakoff’s paintings between 1947 and 1960 revealed a constant exploration of the existing relations between colors, lines and lights. For this purpose, Poliakoff only used pure pigments and overlay colors thanks to paintbrushes or palette knifes. The colors are revealed though transparency and thickness, giving the painting an intense luminosity. The artist also played with colors’ contrasts in this artwork. Vivid tints side by side with darker shades create a striking effect of contrast. Variations in reds clash with different shades of blue, complementing each other and eliciting an emotional response from the viewer.

“Composition Abstraite” reveals Poliakoff’s ability to transcend figurative forms and communicate his emotions through the colors, shapes and textures of his composition.

Like all artists of integral abstraction, Poliakoff explores the relationship between line and surface, background and form, color and light. Concentrated color and vibrancy of material, as well as the skilful arrangement of forms that balance each other in a restrained, energetic tension, all play a vital role. This reading shows the singularity of a particularly sensitive approach and the intense spirituality of a work that has no other object than this “dream of forms in themselves, which is the great mystery to be elucidated of the ‘abstract'” (Pierre Guéguen).

Our painting testifies to Poliakoff’s importance as a major figure in twentieth-century abstract art.

His daring exploration of color and form resulted in works that continue to captivate and inspire art lovers the world over. A major work in the retrospective entitled “le rêve des formes” on the artist at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 2013, “Composition Abstraite”, is a vital testament to the artistic legacy left by Serge Poliakoff, an artist whose genius continues to shine through his timeless creations.