Jean Le Gac: Auto-Reflexive Artist

Abstract

The artistic career of French contemporary artist Jean le Gac (1936) can be divided into three overlapping phases. Initially, he combined his artistic production with his job as drawing teacher. When he retired, he dedicated himself exclusively to the creation of art, retrospectively reflecting on his own oeuvre and place in the art world. Having crossed the age threshold of life expectancy, finding himself in the twilight of his life and career, he returned in an original way to various works of his own and addressed the survival of his work after his death. The figure of le peintre/the painter—which often resembles Jean le Gac to a confusing degree—plays a prominent role in this endeavor. It causes his oeuvre to be inextricably intertwined with his life. This chapter explores how the succession of these shifts have led to changes in the artist’s oeuvre. In his artworks, le Gac reflects on such changes; or is it le peintre who is responsible for this? Either way, the reflection occurs in the wider context of developments in contemporary art and throughout the artist’s expressions regarding the art world. Both dimensions are embodied in his artworks.