Daniel Buren

A major figure of the international contemporary art scene, Daniel Buren (France, 1938) develops since the 1960’s a radical body of work. He has shifted from painting (1965-1967) to a site-specific work questioning the physical and social environment, characterized by the use since 1965 of his “visual tool” : alternating white and coloured vertical bands with a width of 8.7 cm.

As one of the founders of the ephemeral group BMPT (1966-1967), alongside Olivier Mosset, Michel Parmentier and Niele Toroni, his goal is to wipe the slate clean of classical notions of creation through the practice of a repetitive gesture that is devoid of any artistic fundaments and only offers for display what it is actually presenting. From this point forward, all his works are conceived and inspired by the particularities of the space in which the work is deployed, within the public space as well as in museums and art galleries.

Daniel Buren has exhibited in all of the most important museums and institutions around the world. In 1986, he obtained the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, and in 2007 the prestigious Premium Imperiale, awarded by the emperor of Japan.