Launched in November 1968 under the impulse of Aimé Maeght and his foundation, the Chroniques de l'Art Vivant focused on all avant-garde artistic fields within the cultural effervescence of the 1970s.
Painting first, featuring most of the major contemporary artists that Aimé MAEGHT had helped bring to prominence, initially through exhibitions in his gallery and subsequently at the Maeght Foundation. The essential masters like Henri MATISSE, Georges BRAQUE, Fernand LÉGER, Joan MIRÒ, Marc CHAGALL, Alexander CALDER, and Alberto GIACOMETTI, but also the great post-war figures such as Bram van VELDE, Antoni TÀPIES, Raoul UBAC, Pierre TAL COAT, Jean BAZAINE, Eduardo CHILLIDA, Jean-Paul RIOPELLE, Pierre ALECHINSKY, Paul REBEYROLLE, Valerio ADAMI, or Jacques MONORY.
As a review covering all forms of expression (painting, sculpture, happenings, contemporary music and jazz, performances, architecture, photography, writing, land art, mail art, among others, etc.) and copiously illustrated, the "Chroniques" addressed every artistic discipline. This included contemporary cinema penned by Dominique Noguez, contemporary music with articles by Jean Caux, the literary review by Alain Clerval, as well as modern dance by Lise Brunel, who recently passed away, and modern theatre with reports by Philippe du Vignal.
Major French figures in modern art contributed to the Chroniques, including Michel Ragon, Pierre Restany, Gilbert Lascault, Catherine Millet (before she launched into the Artpress venture), Gérald Gassiot-Talabot, as well as the philosopher Jean-François Lyotard, not to mention the famous interviews by Irmeline Lebeer.
Tracking international art news, the review published numerous thematic issues: the Russian Avant-garde, the U.S.A., Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Realism, The City, Cinema and Video, Photography, The Body, etc. The magazine also features a section dedicated to news regarding books, music, theatre, and cinema.
Each issue features an original layout, elegant covers with striking graphic design, and a wealth of illustrations, mostly in black and white, providing a monthly panorama of all artistic activities.
The Chroniques de l'Art Vivant constitute an essential and fascinating reference source on a highly prolific period of 20th-century art. |
