Jacques Cordier: Catalogue Raisonné

The catalogue raisonné of the artist's complete works, featuring his famous seascapes and other lesser-known works.

Jacques Cordier (1937-1975) was a French painter with a versatile artistic technique: when he wasn't using oil paint, he painted in watercolour or drew in Indian ink. Despite his short life, Cordier produced a multitude of works, listed here in this catalogue raisonné with over 1,200 illustrations. The book also includes a selection of letters and testimonials written by personalities such as Françoise Sagan, Bernard Buffet, and François Cheng. The catalogue covers his entire body of work, from his first works in 1953, when he was just 16, to the year of his death in 1975 — more than 20 years of creation.

Grandson of sculptor Charles Cordier, Jacques discovered his vocation as an artist at an early age. At just 19, he exhibited his first drawings alongside those of Bernard Buffet. Initially, his muse was none other than Paris, which he portrayed in all its grandeur.

From 1962 onwards, due to his military service in the navy, the artist created luminous works imbued with reverie, depicting the magnificent landscapes of the Mediterranean. A colourist's temperament is revealed in contact with the light of the South and the colour of the ocean. In the latter part of his life, the influence of William Turner is felt in his art. During his lifetime, Jacques Cordier exhibited in France, the United States, and Italy.