Roland Chanco (1914 – 2017) L’homme et la soleil rouge, 1952, 50×35

Description

​Roland Chanco, born Roland Chanconnier on February 5, 1914, in Reignac, Indre-et-Loire, was a French painter renowned for his vibrant post-cubist and post-expressionist works. In 1930, he moved to Paris, immersing himself in the Montmartre art scene alongside artists like Maurice Utrillo, Gen Paul, and notably, Pablo Picasso, who admired Chanco’s distinctive style.

By 1947, Chanco relocated to Antibes in the South of France, where he engaged with influential figures such as Jean Cocteau, Paul Éluard, and Joan Miró. This period marked his “black period,” characterized by compositions featuring figures set against dark backgrounds. In the 1950s, Chanco experimented with abstract art, incorporating collages and diverse materials into his paintings. In a radical move in 1960, he destroyed much of his earlier work to embark on a fresh artistic path. From 1961 to 1975, during his “kaleidoscopic” period, his art featured geometric figures and expressionist compositions, reflecting his talent as a colorist.

Chanco’s works have been exhibited in various galleries, including retrospectives at Galerie Michel Estades in Lyon in 2003. He continued to create and inspire until his passing on March 10, 2017, in Antibes, at the age of 103.