Alain Jacquet

Alain Jacquet, French (1939–2008)
Alain Jacquet was part of the French art movement Nouveau Réalisme as well as the American Pop Art movement. He was known for his playful explorations of the nature of images, drawing inspiration from mass media photographs and advertisements to NASA's images of the Earth, older masterpieces, and modern painting. "It's a visual, formal thing," he said. "I'm fascinated by the way a picture can break down into the tiniest abstract elements close up, then reappear as a pictorial image." The abstract elements he refers to are Ben Day dots, which were also embraced by Roy Lichtenstein. Among Jacquet's early works is "Déjeuner sur l'herbe" (1964), which references Manet's classic painting. Jacquet lived his life in Paris and New York and was married to Sophie Matisse.