Michel Cadoret de l'Epineguen: An Eminent French Painter of the 50s and 60s

Michel Cadoret de l'Epineguen (1912-1985) was an important representative of French painting in the 1950s and 1960s. Recognized by the art critics of his day, he was a friend of Alexander Calder, one of the most influential sculptors of the XXᵉ century.
The most American of French painters
Having spent much of his career in the United States, he was called “the most American of French painters” by critic Pierre Courthion. His work reflects a unique fusion of French and American artistic influences.

Early life and training
-1912: Born in Paris.
-1928-1932: Studies at the Beaux-Arts de Paris.
-1939: Mobilized during the Second World War.
-1940: Taken prisoner, he escapes and joins the Free French Forces in London.

International career
-1948: Travels to New York and discovers post-war American artists.
-1948-1953: Resides in Mexico, enriching his art with new cultural influences.
-1954: Returns to New York and exhibits at The Contemporaries gallery.
-1957: Participates in the exhibition “50 ans de peinture abstraite” at the Galerie Creuze in Paris.
-1960: Presented a work-exhibition entitled “La Passoire à Connerie” at the Norval Gallery in New York, accompanied by a text in his own hand and a musical introduction by Edgar Varèse.

-1961: Exhibits at the Galerie du XXe Siècle in Paris, with a presentation by critics Pierre Restany and Jacques Lassaigne.

Return to France and recognition
-1963: Returns to France. A monograph by Pierre Courthion is dedicated to him. He is represented by Galerie Kaganovitch.
- 1968: Devotes more time to drawing, developing “micro-drawing” techniques.
-1970: Experiments with acrylic inks.
-1972: Settles in Cerny and concentrates exclusively on drawing, due to health problems.

Major exhibitions and legacy
-1974: Major retrospective at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, presenting his entire body of work.
1981: Large-format exhibition in Créteil.
- 1985: Death of Michel Cadoret.
- 1988: Last exhibition at Galerie Yves Gastou, featuring his paintings from the 1950s and 1960s.

His work continues to be celebrated and exhibited, notably at the ARS ESSENTIA art gallery in Beaune, Burgundy, France.