Untitled

James Coignard (French, 1925-2008) Untitled (circa 1970s) Limited edition etching with carborundum, relief print and hand-painted threads, in colors. The sheet measures 33 x 25 cm (13 x 9.84 inches). The piece is hand-signed in pencil in the lower right and numbered "24/75" in the lower left. It is a mixed media abstract expressionist composition consisting of random spots, shapes, typographic characters (including the letters A, B and X, Y) with symbols on thick deckle edge paper; the work of art is surrounded by two contrasting shades of metallic matting contained in a 19 x 15-inch black wood frame.

James Coignard was a talented painter, sculptor and etcher, whose work has been extensively exhibited internationally. A technical turning point in his career occurred in 1968 when his friend Henri Goetz discovered a new etching technique, using carborundum. Today, Coignard’s artwork is in numerous corporate and private collections, as well as over 20 museums including the Guggenheim in New York, The British Museum in London, the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.