Henry Villierme
Encyclopedia
Henry Pierre Villierme is an American painter associated with abstract expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Villierme is considered one of the "Second Generation" members of the Bay Area Figurative Movement. Villierme first rose to prominence with a series of successful exhibitions in the late 1950s. From the 1960s – 1980s Villierme continued to paint and sculpt in his studio, and in the late 1980s returned to public exhibitions.
, and returned to the Bay Area for his education in 1939. Villierme served in the United States Army in the Korean War
. Upon returning to the United States and discharge from the Army, he enrolled in the California College of Arts and Crafts under the GI Bill.
Villierme credits his initial interest in art to "working in a paint store and working out interior color schemes". He also credits his time in the Far East, where he was excited by the look of Japan
, as well as "the concern for art values" that was part of the Japanese people's way of life."
At the California College of Arts and Crafts Villierme studied under David Park, Harry Krell, Elmer Bischoff
, and Richard Diebenkorn
. Outside of the Bay Area Figurative School, one of his early influences at CCAC was Japanese American abstractionist and abstract calligrapher Saburo Hasegawa. Villierme graduated from CCAC with a Bachelor's Degree in Painting. Villierme also took several courses at the California School of Fine Arts, where his peers included Robert Downs, Manuel Neri
, and Bruce McGaw.
Villierme's work is typically realistic, and his most frequent subjects have been great rolling landscapes typical of California's Central Valley. He is also known for his portraits and still lifes, which are generally done on smaller, one square foot canvases. He works from sketches he makes on the spot, then lets sketches sit for a month or more before he paints from them. His approach is often considered pointillist and cubist. In 1992, Richard Diebenkorn said of Villierme, "(Villierme's) painting had, and still has, instinctual understanding of that universal human activity in which colors are applied to a surface."
Villierme's art showed promise early on. In August 1957 Villierme won Second Award at the Jack London Square Art Festival for his painting "Highway". In November, his painting "Lake View" took First Place at the 7th Annual Exhibition Oil and Sculpture at the Richmond Art Center, with honorable mentions going to Richard Diebenkorn, Nathan Oliveira
, and David Park.
Villierme was invited to display in "The Next Direction", an exhibition sponsored by the Oakland Art Museum and which also featured works by McGaw, Park, Bischoff, and Diebenkorn. He later went on to win a prize aware at the Los Angeles County Museum
1958 Annual Exhibition – Artists of Los Angeles and Vicinity, for his piece "Landscape". Villierme's works were also featured in exhibitions at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Art.
In the late 1950s Henry Villierme left the Bay Area for Southern California to raise a family. Richard Diebenkorn later said, responding to Villierme's decision, "Of all the painting students at the California College of Arts and Crafts who might have abandoned his direction, Henry was one whose defection could hit me the hardest."
In the late 1980s Villierme began a comeback that culminated with the 2005 Bay Area Figurative 1950s and 1960s exhibit at the Bolinas Museum in Bolinas, California.
California College of Arts and Crafts 50th Anniversary. M.H. de Young Memorial Museum. San Francisco, CA.
7th Annual Exhibition Oil and Sculpture at the Richmond Art Center. November 1–30, 1957. Richmond, CA. "Lake View" (First Place).
Seventy Sixth Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association. February 28 - March 31, 1957. San Francisco, CA. "House Tops"
The Next Direction. The Oakland Art Museum. June 8 – 30, 1957. Oakland, CA.
Contemporary Bay Area Figurative Painting Exhibition. The Oakland Art Museum. September 1957. Oakland, CA. "Highway Study".
Seventy-Seventh Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association. May 1958. San Francisco, CA. "Landscape" .
Contemporary Bay Area Figurative Paintings. Los Angeles County Museum. Los Angeles, CA
1958 Annual Exhibition – Artists of Los Angeles and Vicinity. Los Angeles County Museum. May 21 – June 29, 1958. Los Angeles, CA. "Landscape" (Prize Award)
Brookshire Square Invitational Art Exhibition. Downey Museum of Art, May, 1966. Donwey, CA.
Bay Area Figurative 1950s and 1960s. Bolinas Museum. April 29 – June 18, 2006. Bolinas, CA.
Abstract Expressionism
Pointilist
Cubist
Biography
Henry Villierme was born in San Francisco in 1928. He was raised by family in Tahiti, French PolynesiaFrench Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas country of the French Republic . It is made up of several groups of Polynesian islands, the most famous island being Tahiti in the Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island and the seat of the capital of the territory...
, and returned to the Bay Area for his education in 1939. Villierme served in the United States Army in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Upon returning to the United States and discharge from the Army, he enrolled in the California College of Arts and Crafts under the GI Bill.
Villierme credits his initial interest in art to "working in a paint store and working out interior color schemes". He also credits his time in the Far East, where he was excited by the look of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, as well as "the concern for art values" that was part of the Japanese people's way of life."
At the California College of Arts and Crafts Villierme studied under David Park, Harry Krell, Elmer Bischoff
Elmer Bischoff
Elmer Nelson Bischoff was a visual artist in the San Francisco Bay Area.Bischoff, along with Richard Diebenkorn and David Park, was part of the post-World War II generation of artists who started as abstract painters and found their way back to figurative art.-Biography:Elmer Bischoff, second...
, and Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn
Richard Diebenkorn was a well-known 20th century American painter. His early work is associated with Abstract expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. His later work were instrumental to his achievement of worldwide acclaim.-Biography:Richard Clifford Diebenkorn Jr...
. Outside of the Bay Area Figurative School, one of his early influences at CCAC was Japanese American abstractionist and abstract calligrapher Saburo Hasegawa. Villierme graduated from CCAC with a Bachelor's Degree in Painting. Villierme also took several courses at the California School of Fine Arts, where his peers included Robert Downs, Manuel Neri
Manuel Neri
Manuel Neri is an American sculptor, painter, and printmaker and a notable member of the "second generation" of the Bay Area Figurative Movement.- Biography :...
, and Bruce McGaw.
Villierme's work is typically realistic, and his most frequent subjects have been great rolling landscapes typical of California's Central Valley. He is also known for his portraits and still lifes, which are generally done on smaller, one square foot canvases. He works from sketches he makes on the spot, then lets sketches sit for a month or more before he paints from them. His approach is often considered pointillist and cubist. In 1992, Richard Diebenkorn said of Villierme, "(Villierme's) painting had, and still has, instinctual understanding of that universal human activity in which colors are applied to a surface."
Villierme's art showed promise early on. In August 1957 Villierme won Second Award at the Jack London Square Art Festival for his painting "Highway". In November, his painting "Lake View" took First Place at the 7th Annual Exhibition Oil and Sculpture at the Richmond Art Center, with honorable mentions going to Richard Diebenkorn, Nathan Oliveira
Nathan Oliveira
Nathan Oliveira was an American painter, printmaker, and sculptor, born in Oakland, California to Portuguese parents...
, and David Park.
Villierme was invited to display in "The Next Direction", an exhibition sponsored by the Oakland Art Museum and which also featured works by McGaw, Park, Bischoff, and Diebenkorn. He later went on to win a prize aware at the Los Angeles County Museum
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
1958 Annual Exhibition – Artists of Los Angeles and Vicinity, for his piece "Landscape". Villierme's works were also featured in exhibitions at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Art.
In the late 1950s Henry Villierme left the Bay Area for Southern California to raise a family. Richard Diebenkorn later said, responding to Villierme's decision, "Of all the painting students at the California College of Arts and Crafts who might have abandoned his direction, Henry was one whose defection could hit me the hardest."
In the late 1980s Villierme began a comeback that culminated with the 2005 Bay Area Figurative 1950s and 1960s exhibit at the Bolinas Museum in Bolinas, California.
Exhibitions
Jack London Square Art Festival. August 1957. Oakland, CA. "Highway" (Second Award).California College of Arts and Crafts 50th Anniversary. M.H. de Young Memorial Museum. San Francisco, CA.
7th Annual Exhibition Oil and Sculpture at the Richmond Art Center. November 1–30, 1957. Richmond, CA. "Lake View" (First Place).
Seventy Sixth Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association. February 28 - March 31, 1957. San Francisco, CA. "House Tops"
The Next Direction. The Oakland Art Museum. June 8 – 30, 1957. Oakland, CA.
Contemporary Bay Area Figurative Painting Exhibition. The Oakland Art Museum. September 1957. Oakland, CA. "Highway Study".
Seventy-Seventh Annual Painting and Sculpture Exhibition of the San Francisco Art Association. May 1958. San Francisco, CA. "Landscape" .
Contemporary Bay Area Figurative Paintings. Los Angeles County Museum. Los Angeles, CA
1958 Annual Exhibition – Artists of Los Angeles and Vicinity. Los Angeles County Museum. May 21 – June 29, 1958. Los Angeles, CA. "Landscape" (Prize Award)
Brookshire Square Invitational Art Exhibition. Downey Museum of Art, May, 1966. Donwey, CA.
Bay Area Figurative 1950s and 1960s. Bolinas Museum. April 29 – June 18, 2006. Bolinas, CA.
See also
Bay Area Figurative MovementAbstract Expressionism
Pointilist
Cubist