Louis Cane
1943–2024 · French painter and sculptor of the Supports/Surfaces movement
Louis Cane (Beaulieu-sur-Mer, 1943 – Paris, 2024) was a French painter and sculptor linked to the Supports/Surfaces movement, which flourished in France from 1969 to 1972. His importance lies in questioning the canvas as a support, taking it apart and treating it as an object in its own right.
He studied at the National School of Decorative Arts in Nice and, in 1961, began training at the Superior School of Decorative Arts in Paris. Around 1970 he turned to the toiles découpées, cut-out canvases he worked with for several years. He painted unstretched canvas laid on the ground and, in the Sol/Mur series, folded it, spray-painted it and then fixed it to the wall. In 1971 he held his first solo exhibition in Paris, at the Galerie Templon.
In 1978 he returned to figuration, reflecting on the history of pictorial forms, and began integrating sculpture, almost always of female figures in a burlesque or baroque expressionist manner. He also designed furniture, an important part of his output. His works include Toile sur sol (1973) and Accouchement (1982), both in the Musée d'art de Toulon. His legacy rests above all on his reflection on the painting support.