Charles Matton
1931–2008 · French painter, sculptor and illustrator
Charles Matton (1931-2008), who also signed his work as Gabriel Pasqualini, was a French artist of many talents: painter, sculptor, illustrator, writer, photographer, screenwriter and film director. Although he worked across all these fields, his painting and his boxed objects brought him the greatest international recognition.
In the 1970s he worked with Jean-Paul Goude at Esquire, as an illustrator and photographer. In 1983 he was able to show his art in Paris, and in 1987 he exhibited at the Palais de Tokyo, where he presented what would become his famous Boxes. In 1989 he showed his work at the Centre Georges Pompidou.
During the last decade of his life he exhibited around the world, especially in New York and Los Angeles, through the Forum Gallery. After his death, his wife Sylvie Matton continued to promote his work, and exhibitions took place in Germany and England.
He also made films, including short films such as La Pomme ou l'histoire d'une histoire (1967) and Mai 68 ou les violences policières (1968), and feature films such as L'Italien des roses (1972), Spermula (1976), The Light of the Dead Stars (1994) and Rembrandt (1999).