Claude Vénard has a distinct style — it’s post-Cubist in its composition and he progressively accentuated the chromaticism of his palette up to reaching the crudest of colors, which he used in very thick forms and sometimes applied with a pallet knife.
Vénard was born in France in 1913 and, dedicating himself fully to making paintings at the age of 17, he studied at the École des Arts Appliqués for six years, having fled the Académie des Beaux-Arts after just 48 hours. In 1938 he signed the Rupture manifesto and participated in the first exhibition of the influential group Forces Nouvelles, alongside Francis Gruber and Pierre Tal-Coat at the Galerie Billiet-Vorms. A close affinity subsequently developed among these painters and together they were instrumental in forging the aesthetic of the immediate postwar period of the Ecole de Paris.
Vénard quickly became known for his rich impasto and varying texture. He received critical acclaim and was personally championed by Andre Salmon and Waldemar George, who described his painting as “Apocalyptic art! Beings and everyday things suddenly regain their meaning. Emotional values are once more felt.”
Vénard’s distinct and alluring compositions developed through a post-Cubist system that oscillates between abstraction and naturalism. He opens up perspectives projecting spatial vistas into every part of the canvas, in accordance with an emotional rather than a physical order. Familiar objects arise in the midst of a network of striations and hatching. Colors grow more intense in certain zones to stress the solidity of the composition; in other zones the light is more tenuous and diaphanous, as if to indicate space of different emotional intensity.
Find original Claude Vénard paintings and prints on 1stDibs.
(Biography provided by Gallery of the Masters)
Notre Dame de Paris
By Claude Venard
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Claude Venard was a French a French post-Cubist and still life painter and was born in Burgundy in 1913. At the age of 17 he began to take evening classes in painting at the Ecole de...
Oil, Canvas
L'Atelier Venard en Hiver - Abstract Interior and Landscape Oil by Claude Venard
By Claude Venard
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
Signed oil on canvas interior overlooking a landscape by French abstract painter Claude Venard. The piece depicts an interior scene with a table in the foreground. Amongst the items ...
Oil, Canvas
$35,000
Le Soleil Blanc, Modern Oil Painting and Sand on Canvas by Claude Venard
By Claude Venard
Located in Long Island City, NY
Claude Venard, French (1913 - 1999) - Le Soleil Blanc, Year: circa 1970, Medium: Oil and Sand on Canvas, signed lower left and titled on verso, Size: 20 x 28.75 in. (50.8 x 73.03 ...
Oil
$55,000
Biplan
By Claude Venard
Located in Boca Raton, FL
Claude Venard was a French a French post-Cubist and still life painterand was born in Burgundy in 1913. At the age of 17 he began to take evening classes in painting at the Ecole des...
Mixed Media, Canvas
"Venice Canal, Italy" Claude Venard, French Post-Cubist Mid-Century Modern
By Claude Venard
Located in New York, NY
Claude Venard (French, 1913 - 1999) Venice Canal, Italy, circa 1950-55 Oil on canvas 24 x 24 inches Signed lower center Provenance: Private Collection, Massachusetts The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Galerie Felix Vercel. Claude Venard was a notable exponent of the French mid-century post-Cubist movement. He was born to bourgeois parents from Burgogne in Paris, on March 21, 1913. At the age of 17, he enrolled and attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, but remained for only two days, not adhering to the school's academic style. Instead, he spent the following six years at the École des Arts Appliqués, taking evening classes and embracing the contemporary Parisian art scene, all the while becoming recognized in its circles. Not able to support himself as an artist, by 1936 he found employment as a restorer at the Louvre, further honing his artistic skills. Paris of the period was dominated by an art trend that strongly favored abstraction. Following a group show at the Galerie Billet-Worms in 1935, art critic Waldemar George declared: "Let's be young again! Painting is not dead… Its course has not stopped. Forces Nouvelles is born." Venard contributed and initially adhered to the strict disciplines of the Forces Nouvelle group. But as with many of his fellow members, he soon abandoned it seeking individual expression. Following WWII, Venard rekindled friendships with past Forces Nouvelles members, joining Pierre Tal-Coat, André Marchand, André Civet...
Canvas, Oil
Boats in the Harbour, France Abstract monochrome painting
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Framed Size: 15.5" x 25.5" Circa 1942 Provenance: Private Collection, Miami Claude Venard’s 'Boats in the Harbour' is a refined and atmospheric interpretation of the maritime land...
Canvas, Oil
Sacre Coeur Sunset Abstract painting of the paris skyline, yellow, black, white
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Framed Size: 34" x 40" Circa 1962 Provenance: Galerie Romanet, Paris circa 1964. Private Collection, UK. 'Sacré-Cœur, Sunset' is a powerful and atmospheric interpretation of one o...
Canvas, Oil
$1,377
H 20 in W 24 in D 1 in
River Forest Landscape Oil Painting by 20th Century Post War Irish Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Oil Painting of River Forest Landscape in Ireland by 20th Century Post War Irish Artist, Tobias Everet Spence Art measures 20 x 16 inches Frame measures in...
Canvas, Oil
$12,764
H 25.6 in W 30.52 in D 0.48 in
Harbor View with Merchants and a Mosque - 19th Century - Painting - Modern
Located in Roma, IT
Harbor View with Merchants and a Mosque, Greek-Roman Buildings and Ships on Background. In excellent conditions. Includes a beautiful contemporary wooden gilded frame...
Canvas, Oil
$80,000
H 20 in W 24 in
1946 "Untitled" oil on canvas painting signed and dated by artist Alex Katz.
By Alex Katz
Located in Boca Raton, FL
"Untitled" oil on canvas painting by artist Alex Katz. Signed and dated A. Katz 46 recto lower right. Painted in 1946, during the period when Katz was studying at Cooper Union in New...
Canvas, Oil
$427Sale Price|69% Off
H 23.63 in W 31.5 in D 0.79 in
Mid-Century Cubist Cityscape, Oil and Acrylic on Canvas, Signed
Located in Cotignac, FR
Mid-Century cubist oil and acrylic futuristic cityscape on canvas. Signed bottom right, artist unknown. Highly colourful and well-composed interpretation of a cityscape of the futur...
Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$1,425
H 26 in W 40 in D 2 in
"Regatta" Large Vintage American Modernist Seascape Cubist Original Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American oil painting by Beverly Dundas. Oil on canvas. Signed. Framed. Measuring: 26 by 40 inches overall, and 20 by 34 painting alone. Excellent condition, ready to hang a...
Oil, Canvas
$1,392Sale Price|29% Off
H 23.63 in W 28.75 in
Landscape of the Ampurdán Spain oil on canvas painting spanish europe
Located in Sitges, Barcelona
Technical sheet - Artist: Joan Carles Roca Sans (b. 1946) - Title: *Landscape of the Ampurdán* - Technique: Oil on canvas - Dimensions: 23.6 x 28.7 ...
Canvas, Oil
$995
H 32 in W 37 in D 2 in
Vintage American Modernist Signed Abstract Expressionist Figural Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Vintage American modernist abstract expressionist figural painting. Oil on canvas. Framed. Signed.
Canvas, Oil
$1,160
H 2.76 in W 2.76 in D 0.4 in
Seascape turquoise - Sunset, skyline, Water waves
By Nataliia Krykun
Located in Vienna, AT
This artwork is a profound exploration of abstraction through the utilization of a monochromatic blue palette. The artist masterfully manipulates tonal variations of blue to create a...
Canvas, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, Spray Paint, Acrylic
$88,308
H 41 in W 32.5 in D 2 in
Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Art by Contemporary British Painter
By Angela Wakefield
Located in Preston, GB
Dark & Atmospheric Abstract Expressionist Painting by Contemporary British Painter Angela Wakefield - a rare early work. Entitled 'Accrington ...
Gesso, Canvas, Cotton, Paint, Varnish, Cotton Canvas, Mixed Media, Oil, ...
$760Sale Price|20% Off
H 19.49 in W 15.67 in D 0.12 in
Original-Sunset Song-New Abstract-British Awarded Artist-en plein air-oil canvas
By Shizico Yi
Located in London, GB
Sunset Song Series stands as one of the most iconic works featured in her Solo Exhibition - Modern Ancient, GSY Studio Gallery, London, UK. 2025; this is one of the latest in the ser...
Gesso, Canvas, Oil, Acrylic
$620Sale Price|20% Off
H 21 in W 27 in D 2 in
Antique American Period Cubist Abstract Signed Framed Rare Artist Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Rare early American modernist cubist abstract by Anita F. Plumb. Framed. Pastel and gouache on paper. Signed. Image size, 20H by 26L.
Canvas, Oil
$1,290
H 17 in W 15 in D 3 in
Mountains in Spain, Colourful Original Oil by 20th Century Spanish School Artist
Located in Preston, GB
Mountains in Spain, Colourful Original Oil by 20th Century Spanish School Artist, G Munar Art measures 11 x 9 inches Frame measures 17 x 15 inches Presented in a period ornate f...
Canvas, Oil
Vue de Paris
By Claude Venard
Located in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
A superb large signed oil on canvas by Claude Venard depicting a view of Paris. The work is signed lower right and was originally sold by Galerie Romanet in Paris. The work is in exc...
Oil
Sold
H 29.5 in W 29.5 in
'Le Port' Abstract landscape painting of a harbour, boat, lighthouse and moon
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
'Le Port' by Claude Venard is an abstract landscape painting of a harbour, boats, lighthouse and the moon. Using a modern and intense colour palette, the composition is complimented ...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 29 in W 45.5 in
'Aeroship' A Chromatic Post-Cubist Oil Painting by Claude Venard
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
‘Aeroship’ is a truly striking piece. The monochrome palette accentuates the imposing shapes and scratches into the impasto. The result is a bold uncompromising piece that creates a ...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 26 in W 32 in
Parisian Cityscape by Claude Venard 'Sacre Coeur Sunset' in a Post-Cubist style
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
‘Sacre Coeur Sunset' is a wonderful stark cubist cityscape - full of interesting textures and angles. The scratches into the impasto created by his pa...
Canvas, Oil
Sold
H 18 in W 21.5 in
Parisian Cityscape by Claude Venard 'Sacre Coeur Matin' in a Post-Cubist style
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
‘Sacre Coeur Matin' is a stunning example of Venard's earlier work. The colour palette is of a softer hue than found in works painted further on his career and the scratches into the...
Canvas, Oil
Horizon de Paris
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Claude Venard was born in France 1913 and dedicating himself fully to painting at the age of seventeen he studied at the Ecole des Arts Appliques for six years, having fled the Acade...
Canvas, Oil
Sacre Coeur
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Claude Venard was born in 1913 into a business family from Burgogne. At the age of 17 he began to take evening classes in painting at the Ecole des Arts Appliques. However, after six...
Canvas, Oil
La Colonne Vendome
By Claude Venard
Located in Dallas, TX
Valley House Gallery represented a number of School of Paris artists, including Claude Venard, and exhibited Venard's work throughout the 1950's and 1960's.
Canvas, Oil
Plage et de la tour Eiffel
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Claude Venard was born in 1913 into a business family from Burgogne. At the age of 17 he began to take evening classes in painting at the Ecole des Arts Appliques. However, after six...
Canvas, Oil
Canal and Sacre Coeur by Claude Venard
By Claude Venard
Located in Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Claude Venard was born in 1913 into a business family from Burgogne. At the age of 17 he began to take evening classes in painting at the Ecole des Arts Appliques. However, after six...
Canvas, Oil