Galerie Boquet is delighted to present its new exhibition dedicated to Flottages-poèmes—four-handed works created by Marcel Jean (1900–1993) and Henri Pastoureau (1912–1996), both members of the Surrealist group.

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This exhibition is part of our extensive research into the work of Marcel Jean, whose estate the gallery now represents. While working through his studio archives, we recently rediscovered a remarkable series: the flottages-poèmes cycle, a body of work that had remained confidential for several decades.

 

Marcel Jean and Henri Pastoureau produced dozens of these pieces in the early 1950s. This collection led to an exhibition in 1956—exactly seventy years ago—for which Jean Arp wrote the foreword, already highlighting the singularity and importance of this collaboration.

 

Flottage (floating) is a technique developed by Marcel Jean as an extension of the decalcomania experiments he began in the 1930s. The process involves floating oil colors diluted with turpentine on the surface of water, then capturing the imprint on canvas or paper. This results in unpredictable forms born from a controlled random process.

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For Marcel Jean, it was about 'forcing inspiration'—provoking the image into existence. This practice is fully aligned with Surrealism’s foundational research into pictorial automatism. Henri Pastoureau would then respond in kind: composing a poem based on the emerging shapes, interpreting, extending, and revealing them.

 

This is an artistic game of great rigor and purity, echoing the spirit of Apollinaire’s calligrammes or the cadavres exquis (exquisite corpses) practiced by the Surrealists.

In keeping with our program of historical rediscoveries, we are thrilled to unveil this collection—sourced directly from Marcel Jean’s estate—exactly 70 years after its first public presentation.