Érik Desmazières (1948) - Scena atelierowa

ÉRIK DESMAZIÈRES

Studio scene – original graphics, artist’s proof (EA)

Érik Desmazières
born November 21, 1948 in Rabat, Morocco
French graphic artist, draughtsman and contemporary artist
The dominant technique in his work is etching and other intaglio printmaking techniques

Title: studio scene / atelier
Technique: intaglio printmaking, most likely etching with related techniques
Marking: EA, épreuve d’artiste
Signature: handwritten pencil signature in the lower right area of the print
Inscribed: “atelier” and the designation “EA”
Dating: to be determined based on catalog identification
Dimensions of the print: 30 × 30 cm
Dimensions of the frame: 55 × 55 cm
Condition: [to be completed after inspection]

DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK

An exceptionally detailed, monochrome composition depicting the interior of an artist’s studio, with the artist at work at the center. The composition also features elements related to a painting studio, a female figure, a painting on an easel, a developed interior architecture, a balustrade, and a cat in the foreground.

The scene has been developed with the extraordinary precision characteristic of Desmazières’s most recognizable graphic language. The artist builds space with an extraordinarily fine line, dense hatching, and subtle tonal variations, creating an almost illusionistic depth within the interior.

The motif of the artist’s studio holds a special place in Desmazières’s oeuvre. His work includes numerous depictions of ateliers, graphic studios, painters’ studios, and other creative spaces. Among the most famous are, for example, L’Atelier de Louis Icart, L’Atelier de Marc-Antoine, L’Atelier de Pascal, and repeatedly depicted print workshops Atelier René Tazé.

The composition of the presented work is particularly interesting due to the combination of an artistic scene, human figures, interior architecture, and the presence of a cat, giving the depiction a nearly narrative and theatrical character.

ÉPREUVE D’ARTISTE – EA

A particularly important element of the presented print is the marking:

EA

that is, épreuve d’artiste – an author’s/proof print intended for the artist.

Thus it is not a simple copy from a standard numbered edition, marked for example 25/90 or 47/90.

Érik Desmazières used artist’s proofs and EA markings in his printmaking practice. In the case of the presented work, the EA designation is located directly next to the handwritten signature, which is a significant element of its collectible character.

PLACE IN THE ARTIST’S CREATIVE OUTPUT

Érik Desmazières is one of the most recognizable French graphic artists of his generation. He was born in Rabat on November 21, 1948. In 1971 he graduated from the Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, after which he devoted himself to an artistic career. From 1971 to 1973 he studied drawing and graphic arts in the Ville de Paris evening courses under Jean Delpech. Since 1972, graphic art has been his main medium of artistic expression.

In 1978 he received the Grand Prix des Arts de la Ville de Paris, and in 2008 he was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, in the graphics and drawing section. From 2006 to 2022 he served as president of the Société des Peintres-Graveurs français. From 2020 to 2025 he was director of the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.

His works are in the collections of such prestigious institutions as the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rijksmuseum, the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, and other international museum collections.

CATALOGUING AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRINT

Desmazières’s graphic oeuvre has been developed in a multi-volume catalogue raisonné covering successive decades of his work. Catalogues for the periods 1972–1981, 1982–1991, 1991–2001 and 2001–2011 document hundreds of his prints.

This is relevant for the presented work because its composition falls within Desmazières’s characteristic interest in elaborated interiors, ateliers, artist spaces, and architecture depicted with extraordinary perspectival precision.

The artist is known for technical virtuosity and a very precise graphic craft. His graphics combine meticulous drawing with an atmosphere of mystery and a highly developed, nearly labyrinthine space.

MARKET SIGNIFICANCE AND AUCTION RECORDS

Érik Desmazières’s position on the graphic market is also confirmed by auction results for his works.

The highest auction result for his graphics is “La grande bataille” from 1978, which in 2026 reached 10,311 USD at auction.

This work belongs to an early, extremely characteristic period of Desmazières’s oeuvre and is an example of a graphic with a monumental, expansive composition and a very high technical level.

Results for other works by the artist are also significant. His graphics have achieved results in the thousands of euros and dollars at auction, and works such as La Bibliothèque de Babel, L’Atelier de Louis Icart, Le Magasin central des imprimés, or other elaborate compositions are among the artist’s particularly sought-after graphic works.

The market value of Desmazières’s works is not only due to the artist’s name but also to the exceptional technical level of his graphics, their rich iconography, the degree of detail, and the fact that his work is represented in the most important museum collections and documented in catalogues raisonnés.

The present print, due to the EA designation, its unusual layout of descriptions, and the lack of a clear standard edition number while retaining the handwritten signature, requires separate cataloguing identification. This aspect may be particularly significant for further defining its place in the artist’s oeuvre.

SIGNATURE AND MARKINGS

The work bears a handwritten pencil signature and the designation EA.

On the lower margin is also visible the word:

“atelier”

written in lowercase.

This form has been preserved in the description exactly as it appears on the presented print. I do not assign this inscription to a specific title without confirmation in the catalogue raisonné.

It should also be noted that in standard, numbered graphics by Desmazières the usual layout includes the print number, title, and the artist’s full signature with date. For example, in the documentation of his works there are markings of the edition number, title, and full artist’s signature with date.

The present print differs from this typical layout primarily through the EA designation, hence its precise cataloguing identification and the characterization of this particular print remain especially interesting to the expert.

PROVENANCE AND AUCTION CONTEXT

The work was previously presented in a professional auction context at Campo & Campo in Antwerp, specializing among other things in graphic art, lithography, screen printing and etching.

Its inclusion in a professional auction catalogue and its highlighting in promotional materials for the graphic auction constitute an additional element documenting its collecting history.

SUMMARY

The offered work is an original graphic attributed to Érik Desmazières, depicting an exceptionally detailed interior of an artist’s studio.

Notable points:
- Érik Desmazières, born 1948 in Rabat
- one of the leading French graphic artists of his generation
- member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts
- winner of the Grand Prix des Arts de la Ville de Paris
- long-time president of Société des Peintres-Graveurs français
- author of over two hundred graphics and numerous graphic cycles
- represented in major museum collections in Europe and the United States
- multi-volume catalogue raisonné of his graphic work
- distinctive artist motif of the atelier and interior of a studio
- handwritten signature
- EA designation – épreuve d’artiste
- an especially elaborate, detailed composition featuring the artist, a female figure, an easel, interior architecture and a cat
- documented auction results for his graphics exceeding USD 10,000
- prior professional auction context in Antwerp.

The work merits detailed cataloguing identification due to its unusual EA designation and the artist’s characteristic atelier theme.

FOTOGRAPHY CREDIT FOOTER

Érik Desmazières (born November 21, 1948, Rabat, Morocco)
Studio scene / atelier
Original intaglio print, épreuve d’artiste (EA)
Signed in pencil, marked EA
France, 20th century
Theme: artist’s studio, artist at work, female figure, easel, architectural interior, cat
Dimensions of the print: 30 × 30 cm
Dimensions of the frame: 55 × 55 cm