This exquisite heliogravure after Pierre Soulages (1919–2022), titled Planche No. 7 (Plate No. 7), from the folio Pierre Soulages, Peintres d'aujourd'hui (Pierre Soulages, Painters of Today), originates from the 1962 edition published by Fernand Hazan, Editeur, Paris, rendered by Cliches Union, Paris, and printed by l'Imprimerie Lecot, Paris, 1962. Planche No. 7 reflects Soulages’ meditative mastery of light and texture, capturing his signature interplay between material depth and luminous abstraction.
Executed as a heliogravure on velin paper, this work measures 13.78 x 10.83 inches. Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of Cliches Union and the exceptional production standards of Fernand Hazan, Editeur, Paris.
Artwork Details:
Artist: After Pierre Soulages (1919–2022)
Title: Planche No. 7 (Plate No. 7), from the folio Pierre Soulages, Peintres d'aujourd'hui (Pierre Soulages, Painters of Today)
Medium: Heliogravure on velin paper
Dimensions: 13.78 x 10.83 inches (35 x 27.5 cm)
Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued
Date: 1962
Publisher: Fernand Hazan, Editeur, Paris
Printer: l'Imprimerie Lecot, Paris
Renderer: Cliches Union, Paris
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the folio Pierre Soulages, Peintres d'aujourd'hui (Pierre Soulages, Painters of Today), published by Fernand Hazan, Editeur, Paris, 1962
Notes:
Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), The illustrations of this album, completed in 1962, were produced by Cliches Union and shot by l'Imprimerie Lecot. The text has been composed and drawn by l'Imprimerie Darantiere and the binding made by F.l.A.P. according to the models of Marcel Jacno. Fernand Hazan Editeur, 35-37 rue de Seine, Paris. 1962. Tous droits de reproduction reserves. Printed in France.
About the Publication:
Pierre Soulages, Peintres d'aujourd'hui (Pierre Soulages, Painters of Today), published in Paris in 1962 by Fernand Hazan, Editeur, stands as a defining volume in the celebrated Peintres d’aujourd’hui series, which showcased leading figures of postwar modern art. Produced with the exceptional craftsmanship of Cliches Union and l’Imprimerie Lecot, the folio captures the aesthetic and intellectual rigor that characterized French art publishing in the mid-20th century. Conceived to present Soulages’ work to an international audience, the publication highlights his mastery of tone, material, and abstraction through meticulously executed heliogravures that preserve the subtle depth and texture of his original paintings. Printed on fine velin paper, the plates reveal the tactile presence of his work while reflecting the sophisticated dialogue between artist, publisher, and printer that defined the Parisian fine art album tradition. The Peintres d’aujourd’hui series played a crucial role in bridging art and scholarship, offering an accessible yet refined platform for collectors, critics, and museums to engage with the vanguard of modern art. The 1962 Soulages edition remains one of the most sought-after in the series—a testament to the artist’s monumental place in 20th-century abstraction and to Fernand Hazan’s commitment to elevating art publishing to a form of fine art in itself.
About the Artist:
Pierre Soulages (1919–2022) was a pioneering French painter, printmaker, and sculptor revered as the “Painter of Black,” whose lifelong exploration of darkness and light redefined the expressive power of abstraction. Born in Rodez, France, Soulages’ early fascination with prehistoric cave paintings and Romanesque architecture informed his sensitivity to form, texture, and space. After settling in Paris in the late 1940s, he quickly emerged as one of the leading figures of postwar abstraction, developing a powerful visual language based on the interplay between material, gesture, and light. His signature concept, “Outrenoir” (“beyond black”), transformed the color black into a luminous field where light itself became the subject, producing an emotional resonance that transcended color theory and spoke to the metaphysical dimension of human perception. Working at a time when modernism was reaching new frontiers, Soulages shared the international stage with such titans as Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray. While these contemporaries explored surrealism, cubism, kinetic sculpture, and conceptual experimentation, Soulages followed a solitary, spiritual path, stripping painting of all figurative reference to focus on light, rhythm, and material presence. His restrained palette and monumental scale offered a meditative counterpoint to the vivid dynamism of abstract expressionism, positioning him as a bridge between European lyrical abstraction and the philosophical austerity of minimalism. He was deeply influenced by the purity of prehistoric art, the geometry of Byzantine mosaics, and the quiet strength of calligraphic form, yet his vision was wholly modern—an inquiry into the very nature of perception and being. Throughout his career, Soulages exhibited in the world’s leading galleries and museums, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate Modern in London, and the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. His works were featured in landmark exhibitions that defined the course of 20th-century abstraction, and his monumental paintings graced institutions and sacred spaces alike, including the extraordinary stained-glass windows he designed for the Abbey Church of Conques, a masterpiece of contemporary sacred art that fuses modern minimalism with medieval architecture. Soulages’ influence extends across generations and continents. His disciplined exploration of surface and reflection inspired artists such as Pierre Alechinsky, Anish Kapoor, Sean Scully, Richard Serra, and even contemporary painters working in light-based and monochromatic abstraction. His belief that “black is a color of light” continues to resonate with artists and collectors drawn to the philosophical depth of his work. In his lifetime, he received France’s highest cultural honors, including induction into the Academie des Beaux-Arts and the Grand Cross of the Legion d’Honneur, underscoring his status as a national treasure and international icon. Today, Soulages’ legacy endures as one of the most significant contributions to modern and contemporary art, his works commanding reverence for their purity, power, and meditative force. The Musee Soulages in his hometown of Rodez stands as a monument to his enduring vision, housing the largest collection of his works in the world. His highest auction record was achieved at Sotheby’s, New York, in November 2019, when Peinture 162 x 130 cm, 14 mars 1962 sold for approximately $20.2 million USD, affirming his enduring global stature and his position among the most celebrated abstract painters of the modern era.
Pierre Soulages Planche No. 7 Peintres d'aujourd'hui Painters of Today Fernand Hazan heliogravure Cliches Union Imprimerie Lecot abstraction modern art.
