Olivier Debré

Do you have a piece by Olivier Debré in your possession and would like to know its value? Our Experts will carry out a free appraisal of your piece, provide you with an estimate of the market price, and then help you to sell at the best possible price.

Status, estimate and price of Olivier Debré

Price of a painting by the artist: 5,770 – 38,000 €.

Price of an artist’s print: 180 – 550 €.

Price of a drawing by the artist: 850 – 2,800 €.

Price of a sculpture by the artist: 1,500 – 2,500 €.

If you would like to have a work by Debré appraised, our experts will take care of everything.

Olivier Debré and his beginnings in abstraction

Olivier Debré was born on 9 February 1920 and died on 1 June 1999 in Paris. He showed a keen interest in art from a young age, and gravitated towards the Impressionist works of his grandfather, Édouard Debat-Ponsan. In 1938, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts where he studied under Le Corbusier.

In 1937, he was deeply affected by Guernica, Picasso’s work presented during the 1937 Universal Exhibition in Paris. In 1941, Debré met Picasso, who was to influence all his work, at an exhibition of some of his works at the Galerie Aubry. During the Second World War, his art was marked by a sense of horror, notably with “Le death of Dachau”. In 1949, he met his peers of the abstract movement such as Hartung, Pierre Soulages, Gérard Schneider, Michel Atlan and Dewasne during an exhibition dedicated to him in the Bing Gallery.

From the representation of signs to “l’abstraction fervente”

Around the 1950s, he worked on the sign that embodies emotion and thought. These works can be compared to the monochromes made by Nicolas de Staël at the same time. In the 60s, he would forsake the sign in favour of landscape, and frequented abstract expressionist painters such as Rothko and Kline. He branded his painting as “abstraction fervente”, as it allowed emotion to be symbolised. As time went by, these canvases would become bigger and bigger in their format.

Debré got involved in several travelling exhibitions as well as representing France at the 1967 Montreal World’s Fair, where he presented the “signe de l’homme”. Following this, he would carry out several international public commissions, including the curtain of the Comédie française stage as well as Hong Kong opera curtain. In 1995, a retrospective of the artist took place at the Jeu de Paume in Paris.

Recognising Olivier Debré’s signature

Like many artists, Debré did not sign all of his works. However, you will find below an example of the signatures to give you an idea. Variations of these signatures do exist, do not hesitate to contact one of our experts to formally authenticate a signature.

Appraising and selling a piece by Olivier Debré

If you own a piece by Olivier Debré or any other object, ask for a free estimate via our online form.

You will then be contacted by a member of our team of experts and auctioneers to give you an independent view of the market price of your piece. In the context of a possible sale, our specialists will also advise you on the different options available to sell your work at the best price.