Collection: Gerard Zlotykamien

Gérard Zlotykamien (born in Paris in 1940) is regarded as the very first European urban artist — he has been working in the street since 1963, before the words “street art” even existed. Galerie Bonnet-Abelin presents below a group of his works from the 1980s to today.

The absolute precursor

Shaped by his contact with Yves Klein, whom he met through judo, Zlotykamien began tracing his “Éphémères” in public space as early as 1963: ghostly silhouettes sketched in one swift gesture — with an enema bulb at first, then with aerosol. These figures evoke the shadows left on the walls of Hiroshima by the victims of the bomb: a meditation on fragility and erasure, deliberately inscribed in places destined to disappear.

Les Halles, the trials, the recognition

In the 1970s, his interventions on the hoardings of the “trou des Halles” in Paris entered urban-art legend. Prosecuted for his unauthorised paintings, he faced one of the first trials brought in France against an artist for urban interventions — an episode that would paradoxically further his recognition. Exhibited today in institutions and international fairs, Zlotykamien is celebrated as the doyen and pioneer of a movement that became global, whose founding gesture he has never ceased to practise: painting fast, in everyone's space, figures that speak of disappearance.

Zlotykamien at Galerie Bonnet-Abelin

The gallery presents a rare group spanning several decades of creation: Éphémères on canvas, on paper and on jute — including a painted bag from around 1985 — in which the constancy of a vocabulary unique in the history of urban art can be read. Historic pieces by an artist whose market and institutional recognition are steadily rising.

Acquiring a work by Gérard Zlotykamien

The works below can be viewed at the gallery, 36 avenue Foch, Lyon 6ᵉ, by appointment. Each work comes with a certificate of authenticity. The gallery, currently preparing its Geneva location, also assists Swiss and international collectors. Prices and documentation on request: contact@galeriebonnetabelin.com.