Geneviève Claisse | Geometry of Color

Flagship Longchamp : 8th January - 10th February 2026 | Galerie A&R Fleury : 15th January - 28th February

Recognized as one of the leading voices in French geometric abstraction, Geneviève Claisse explores the subtle balances between form, color, and pictorial plane.

Galerie A&R Fleury has joined forces with Maison Longchamp for a double exhibition, inviting the public to discover a collection of previously unseen works presented in two iconic locations: Rue Saint-Honoré, at the Longchamp’s flagship, and Avenue Matignon, in the gallery’s artistic setting.

From the start, Claisse has developed a geometric yet deeply sensitive body of work, in which form, colour and the pictorial plane enter into dialogue. Faithful to a constant search for visual balance, Claisse established her personal approach very early on.

Claisse’s painting seeks neither narrative nor demonstration, but rather a visual experience in which the gaze is constantly set in motion. Geneviève Claisse asserts an intuitive geometric abstraction, where formal precision is combined with profound freedom. She thereby emancipated herself from the novel foundations of Auguste Herbin’s Alphabet Plastique, which she considered too restrictive.

For Claisse, everything begins with drawing. She considered it her personal form of writing: “My writing is drawing. Everything from the past, everything I’ve ever drawn, is there when I pick up a pencil.” Drawing is her space for research and pure creation, but also a place of revelation. When she looks at her drawings, she knows immediately whether a work is destined to become a painting. She explains: “If I don’t see colors in it, I don’t make it into a painting. Although color comes last in the creative process, the whole work revolves around it. If I don’t feel the color, the drawing will never become a painting. Color is the life of the work.”1

1 Szymusiak, Dominique. Geneviève Claisse: parcours 1960-1989, Musée Matisse. Le Cateau-Cambrésis, 1989, France.

The Longchamp Omotesando Flagship Store in Tokyo

A&R Fleury x Longchamp

The galerie A&R Fleury has partnered with Maison Longchamp to celebrate Geneviève Claisse, an icon of femininity and creativity. Alongside our exhibition, discover this unique collaboration, where the artist’s colorful world is showcased at the Longchamp Flagship, 404 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris, until February 10.

“Claisse’s universe naturally resonates with Longchamp: several of her works have been displayed in the Maison’s boutiques, notably in Tokyo Ginza, where the iconic H work is currently on display. Her graphic power, chromatic optimism, and creative freedom echo the spirit of Longchamp: a shared vision of movement, energy, and essential elegance.”

Source : Longchamp.com

“In creation, anything is possible. With geometric abstraction, language achieves freedom. It can be a total creation. By purifying and sublimating, it aims for greater sensibility [...]”
Geneviève Claisse

Preservation and transmission of Geneviève Claisse’s work:

Since 2016, Galerie A&R Fleury has played an essential role in supporting, promoting, and showcasing the work of Geneviève Claisse. Through its ongoing commitment, the gallery has assisted the artist and her estate in preserving and passing on a collection of works that are fundamental to geometric abstraction.

By organizing exhibitions, publishing catalogs, and developing institutional and private collaborations, A&R Fleury contributes to placing Geneviève Claisse’s work in a contemporary context, while respecting the rigor of her artistic approach. This commitment is part of a long-term vision aimed at ensuring the longevity and recognition of her work.

Attentive to the place of women in art history, Galerie A&R Fleury has been working for ten years to raise Geneviève Claisse’s profile among collectors, institutions, and the public.

The gallery presenting Geneviève Claisse at Frieze Masters in collaboration with AWARE in 2022.

Geneviève Claisse in her studio. Photo Didier Perthuison

About the artist

A leading figure in geometric abstraction, Geneviève Claisse (1935-2018) was a French painter. Her rigorous and colorful work is distinguished by the clarity of its forms and an exceptional chromatic harmony, blending visual purity with formal perfection.

Geneviève Claisse was born in 1935 in Quiévy, a small village near Le Cateau-Cambrésis. A self-taught artist, she discovered geometric abstraction through reading art magazines such as Art d’aujourd’hui, which at the time praised vat-garde artistic movements.

Artworks