Singier was a Belgian-born French painter associated with the Lyrical Abstraction movement in postwar Europe. Born in Warneton, Belgium, he moved to France with his family in 1919 and became a French citizen in 1947. Singier studied at the École Boulle in Paris, where he trained in decorative arts, before turning fully to painting in the 1930s.
During World War II, he was active in the French Resistance and part of a group of abstract artists who opposed Nazi censorship. After the war, he emerged as a key figure in the non-figurative art scene in Paris, exhibiting alongside artists such as Jean Bazaine and Alfred Manessier. His work, known for its vibrant color fields and expressive form, was featured in major salons and exhibitions throughout Europe.
Singier also taught at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1967 to 1978, influencing a new generation of abstract painters. His paintings are held in several major public collections, including the Centre Pompidou and Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris.
In Portrait Flamand, Gustave Singier demonstrates his signature blend of lyrical abstraction and balanced compositional structure. On the left, a deep vertical band of darker blue anchors the composition, acting almost like a structural spine or a visual pause in contrast to the two organic, orangey-red forms emerging on the right. This carefully calibrated asymmetry creates a dynamic tension across the canvas, a hallmark of Singier’s mature work.
While entirely non-figurative, the title Portrait Flamand strongly suggests an abstract homage to Singier’s Belgian origins, filtered through memory and mood rather than representation. This canvas exemplifies the artist’s ability to convey emotion through pure form and color, making it a compelling painting within the context of postwar lyrical abstraction.
Eindhoven, Bijenkorf, "Kunst over de Drempel", 1985
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Art Works: International Modern Art in the Industrial Working Environment, an Experiment over more than Thirty Years: Peter Stuyvesant Foundation, 1991-1992, listed p.63, not illustrated.