Welcome to the official website of Denis Godefroy (1949-1997), dedicated to presenting his work, the artist and his news. Born in Évreux in August 1949, the eldest of five children, Denis Godefroy was introduced to pictorial art from an early age by his father, a decorative sign painter. He exhibited his first works (watercolours, oils, washes and charcoals) at the age of 17, in Évreux. In 1974, his works were shown at the first International Contemporary Art Fair, in Paris. Initially a figurative painter, inspired by Jackson Pollock, in the 1980s he turned towards abstraction, powerfully using black, white, gold and colour – especially blue and red. With that same energy, he gave live performances on huge canvases, always accompanied by music, another passion. His cross-disciplinary work evolved continuously over the decades. He was influenced by Nicolas de Staël, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Yves Klein… Denis Godefroy was also a draughtsman: of contrasted nudes but also of landscapes with airy lines. This website cannot be perfectly complete, but it will let you discover the diversity of the artist’s work.
Association Denis Godefroy
The Denis Godefroy Association was founded in 1997, with the aim of protecting and spreading the artist's work. It has organised several exhibitions, including a major retrospective in 2003 at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rouen, as well as the creation of a catalogue and a DVD. It continues to work today for the dissemination of the work of Denis Godefroy. Photo credits: Jean-Claude Bélégou une grande rétrospective en 2003 au Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, ainsi que la création d’un catalogue et d’un DVD. Elle continue à œuvrer aujourd’hui pour la diffusion de l’oeuvre de Denis Godefroy.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the development of this site, for their valuable help in setting it up, or for the documents provided.