Colourful Abstract Oil on Canvas, "On the Beach" by Claude Venard

Claude Venard was born in France in 1913, dedicating himself fully to painting at the age of seventeen he studied at the École des Arts Appliqués for six years, having fled the Académie des Beaux-Arts after only 48 hours. In 1938 he signed the "Rupture" manifesto, and participated in the first exhibition of the influential group the Forces Nouvelles, alongside Gruber and 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 post-war period of the Ecole de Paris, Venard quickly became known for his rich impasto and varying textures. He participated in the influential École de Paris exhibitions at the Galerie Charpentier, and helped found the revolutionary Salon de Mai, in 1944, which played an essential role in promoting the avant-garde abstract painters. Venard received critical acclaim and was personally championed by André 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."

The artist is represented in numerous major public collections including at Tate Modern; Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Whitney Museum, New York; and the city art museums of Basle, Dusseldorf, Montreal, Buenos Aires, Munich, Dallas, Mexico City, Grenoble and Tokyo.