Georges Mathieu

Georges Mathieu (27 January 1921 – 10 June 2012) was a French abstract painter, art theorist, and member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He is considered one of the fathers of European lyrical abstraction, a trend of informalism. Biography Early life and education Mathieu was born in 1921 in Boulogne-sur-Mer. His father, Adolphe Georges Mathieu, was employed as a bank manager at Barclays. His mother, Madeleine Durpé, taught him drawing as a child. The family lived near the ramparts of the city at 38 Boulevard du Prince Albert. In 1933 Mathieu's parents divorced and he was placed in the care of his aunt at Versailles. From 1927 to 1933, he attended a variety of schools in Boulogne-sur-Mer and later in Lycée Hoche in Versailles. Thereafter, he studied English and law at the University of Lille.