Henri-André MARTIN (1918-2004) - Lot 22

HENRI ANDRÉ MARTIN STUDIO (1928–2004)

Thursday, June 11, 2026 - 6:00 p.m.

Auction to benefit the Fondation des Hospices Civils de Lyon

Half of the proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Fondation des Hospices Civils de Lyon.

Public Exhibition :

Wednesday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

EXPERT:

Damien VOUTAY

Sales Manager :

Rebecca CHARON

Information: 

lyon@debaecque.fr

Virtual tour :

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“What a magnificent school boredom is for developing within oneself what may lie hidden,

to learn to observe, to love the simplest things”

Henri-André Martin, 1981

A renowned physician and leading figure in Lyon’s otology community, Henri-André MARTIN (1918–2004) never stopped painting, making artistic creation a space for expression at every stage of his life. The dispersal of his studio now allows for the revelation of a dense, sensitive, and singular body of work.

This previously unseen body of work, carefully selected from the privacy of the artist’s studio, reflects a coherent body of work structured by series, variations, revisitations, and transformations. It brings together paintings that oscillate between figurative explorations and more synthetic compositions—even verging on abstraction—highlighting an artistic approach in constant reflection and evolution.

The richness and diversity of his themes, at the heart of the questions posed by 20th-century painting, offer everyone a sensitive entry point into his work. His landscapes—vast beaches or the countryside of Provence—enhanced by springtime details of flowering branches, become spaces for meditation. The pictorial treatment of his nudes, where the brushstroke sometimes takes precedence over the subject, presents the viewer with the ambivalence of the body’s presence or its fading into the background.

Close to the artists of the Lyon School (Jean-Albert Carlotti, André Cottavoz, Pierre Pelloux, Jacques Truphémus) as well as painters based in Provence around Eygalières (Mario Prassinos, Louis Pons, Joseph Alessandri) and the great Parisian masters (Jean Souverbie, Jean Piaubert) or the young postwar painters (Bernard Buffet), Henri-André Martin was also a dedicated collector and patron, part of a vibrant network of exchanges and dialogue. This aspect enriches our understanding of his work, developed both in the seclusion and autonomy of the studio and through interaction with others. Martin received significant honors: Winner of the Maurice Utrillo Prize in 1964, he was also awarded the Medal of Honor by the Lyon Society of Fine Arts. A member of the Salon du Sud-Est, he also participated in major Parisian salons (Salon d’Automne, Société nationale des Beaux-Arts…) and was appointed a correspondent of the Institut de France. His work, regularly exhibited in France—notably at the Galerie Malaval in Lyon—as well as abroad in Geneva, New York, Dallas, and Caracas, confirms his national and international recognition.

This sale thus offers a rare immersion into the world of an artist for whom painting was a form of escape, another way of traveling the world and revealing his feelings. Damien Voutay

About the Fondation des Hospices Civils de Lyon

“Innovation and medicine, at the heart of life and our cities.”

At the heart of our cities, the Hospices Civils de Lyon Foundation embodies a unique commitment where every life matters: placing every patient, every caregiver, and every citizen at the center of its work. Founded on the conviction that a patient is first and foremost a person, the Foundation works to keep the heart of medicine beating.

At the heart of our mission, we fund essential projects that accelerate research and innovation, and to provide a care environment that fosters well-being, support, and healing.

HCL Foundation, Every Person at Heart.

To learn more about the HCL Foundation’s work: fondationhcl.fr