Augustin Lesage is a French painter (1876-1954). Coming from a family of miners, he works in the mines after to have obtained his certificate of studies in 1890. His life takes an unexpected turn in 1911 when he hears voices telling him that one day he will become a painter. Under the dictation of spirits, he begins to create works characterized by geometric and symmetrical compositions. Admired by personalities such as André Breton, Jean Dubuffet became a major figure in art brut.
This annoted catalog analyses by various specialists such as Michel Thévoz, the first director of the Compagnie de l'Art Brut in Lausanne, and Sarah Lombardi, an art historian who has been director of the same institution for several years now, Dr. Patrick Martin-Mattera, university professor, Dr. Jacques Vazeille psychiatrist.
An important documentation illustrates the work : testimonies, writings, photographs, bibliography, exhibitions. The catalogue raisonné section in the last part lists 250 paintings out of the estimated 500 not yet destroyed and which remain in circulation around the world. Indeed, works in both Europe and America remain anonymously within important private collections.
This annoted catalog dedicated to the artist Augustin Lesage, prefaced by the art historian Michel Thévoz, is intended as a new reference tool for both the actors of the art market and the amateur or seasoned collector.
The author, Pierre Guénégan, has been working for many years on the work of Augustin Lesage. He is regularly consulted for his expertise during auctions to issue certificates of authenticity.