Thierry Renard
Winterreise
13 Nov 2010 - 2 Jan 2011
Thierry Renard (1951 - 2011) was a top lawyer in Brussels and New York, specializing in international law. Since his childhood, he cut up paper into collages with a message. His first collage, in 1967, was a love letter on a piano score replacing the musical notes by eyes. The picture said so much more than words. In 1995 he decided to put an end to his lawyers career and to finally dedicate his time to collage art.
Collages are a specific art form of the twentieth century. It was practiced by the Cubists, Constructivists, Dadaists, Surrealists, Cobra and Pop Art. The collages of Renard are puzzles for the eye and the brain where art history always plays an important role. The titles reveal humor and brain teasers. Technically they show flawless craftsmanship. The newly emerging image is a perfect trompe-l'oeil – we can hardly see what was added or omitted.
The Winterreise exhibition refers to the song bundle of Franz Shubert, which evokes a journey inwards for mankind.
The work of Thierry Renard has known national and international interest. He had solo exhibitions at Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, MUHKA (Antwerp), Museum of Ixelles and Verbeke Foundation (Stekene). He participated in major exhibitions at MUHKA (Antwerp), Fondation pour l'Architecture (Brussels), Tokyo Metropolitan Museum, Stedelijk Museum Schiedam and Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles (Paris).