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Jean Goguen
(Canadian, 1927–1989)
Untitled (Post-Automatiste Inks), 1958 (Pair)
Black ink on paper
Inscriptions: Each signed and dated "Goguen 58" in lower right margin
Dimensions: 22.25 × 28 in. (56.5 × 71.1 cm) each | Uniformly framed
Executed in 1958, this exceptional pair of large-scale ink drawings represents a critical turning point in Jean Goguen’s career. Created during his celebrated post-Automatiste period, these works capture the dynamic evolution from fluid, gestural ink drawing toward the architectural structure of the early Plasticien movement.
Using dense black ink applied with wide, sweeping brushstrokes and spatulate tools, Goguen constructs architectural armatures across the paper fields. The compositions balance expressive ink application with spatial geometry, illustrating an increasing tightening of structure and regularizing of gesture during this exact 1957–1959 window. These 1958 works directly predate his inclusion in the legendary 1959 Montreal exhibition L'Art abstrait alongside Guido Molinari, Claude Tousignant, and Denis Juneau, an event that solidified second-generation Plasticien abstraction in Canadian art history.
Manifeste des Plasticiens (1955): Co-signatory of the historic manifesto that launched non-objective geometric abstraction in Quebec.
L'Art abstrait Exhibition (1959): Key participant in Fernand Leduc’s landmark survey establishing Montreal’s hard-edge avant-garde.
International Exhibition History: Featured in Geometric Abstraction in Canada (Camino Gallery, New York, 1962) and Seven Montreal Artists (Hayden Gallery, MIT, Boston, 1968).
Academic Leadership: Served as Professor of Fine Art at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University), shaping generations of Canadian abstract painters.
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / MBAM (Montreal, QC)
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal / MAC (Montreal, QC)
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec / MNBAQ (Quebec City, QC)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Musée d'art de Joliette (Joliette, QC)
Jean Goguen
(Canadian, 1927–1989)
Untitled (Post-Automatiste Inks), 1958 (Pair)
Black ink on paper
Inscriptions: Each signed and dated "Goguen 58" in lower right margin
Dimensions: 22.25 × 28 in. (56.5 × 71.1 cm) each | Uniformly framed
Executed in 1958, this exceptional pair of large-scale ink drawings represents a critical turning point in Jean Goguen’s career. Created during his celebrated post-Automatiste period, these works capture the dynamic evolution from fluid, gestural ink drawing toward the architectural structure of the early Plasticien movement.
Using dense black ink applied with wide, sweeping brushstrokes and spatulate tools, Goguen constructs architectural armatures across the paper fields. The compositions balance expressive ink application with spatial geometry, illustrating an increasing tightening of structure and regularizing of gesture during this exact 1957–1959 window. These 1958 works directly predate his inclusion in the legendary 1959 Montreal exhibition L'Art abstrait alongside Guido Molinari, Claude Tousignant, and Denis Juneau, an event that solidified second-generation Plasticien abstraction in Canadian art history.
Manifeste des Plasticiens (1955): Co-signatory of the historic manifesto that launched non-objective geometric abstraction in Quebec.
L'Art abstrait Exhibition (1959): Key participant in Fernand Leduc’s landmark survey establishing Montreal’s hard-edge avant-garde.
International Exhibition History: Featured in Geometric Abstraction in Canada (Camino Gallery, New York, 1962) and Seven Montreal Artists (Hayden Gallery, MIT, Boston, 1968).
Academic Leadership: Served as Professor of Fine Art at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University), shaping generations of Canadian abstract painters.
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal / MBAM (Montreal, QC)
National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON)
Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal / MAC (Montreal, QC)
Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec / MNBAQ (Quebec City, QC)
Vancouver Art Gallery (Vancouver, BC)
Art Gallery of Ontario / AGO (Toronto, ON)
Musée d'art de Joliette (Joliette, QC)