A COINCISE BIOGRAPHY

A French officer's son, Aristide Najean was born in Algiers in 1959, July the 4th, when, during the war, his mother was at his wounded father's hospital bed. In his childhood he could freely express his curiosity about materials. He was only nine, when he lost his father. During his school years in Poitiers, he developed a passion for writers and philosophers: his favourites were Socrate, Platone, Deleuze, Bataille, Foucauld, Lacan.
At seventeen he began working as an assistant Art Director in an Advertising Agency. The following year Aristide goes to Paris, to join the Maurice Felt engraving atelier, and discovers the artists of the famous Maeght Gallery: Clavé, Adami, Garache…
In the same time, completely self-taught, he learns the fundaments of architecture. At nineteen studies artistic anatomy in Munich, Germany, and the following year we find him in Florence, where he learns fresco, pigment and colour techniques. In 1982 Aristide Najean comes back to Maurice Felt's atelier, and continues his artistic research on various fascinating subjects : horses, theatrical decoration, city, mithology and, under the guide of a matador, bull-fighting.
Aristide Najean extends his painting into sculpture, of which glass is the favourite expression.
In 1986 Mario Badioli, "maestro vetraio" in Murano, accepts him in his atelier,thus beginning a fruitful cooperation.
In 1995 Aristide Najean creates an Art Publishing Company, to promote glass in sculpture, to which he dedicates the next five years.
On the turn of the New Century, his creative research leads him towards Christian artistic themes , particularly of the Romanesque period, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance.                                                                                              
                                                                             
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QUELQUES ÉLÉMENTS BIOGRAPHIQUES

Fils de militaire, Aristide Najean est né le 4 Juillet 1959 à Alger pendant la guerre alors que sa mère est appelée au chevet de son père, blessé par une mine.
Dès l'enfance, il peut laisser libre cours à sa curiosité des matières. Il perd son père à l'âge de 9 ans. Il mène une bonne scolarité primaire et secondaire à Poitiers. A partir de la classe de première, il se passionne pour des auteurs tels Socrate, Platon, Deleuze, Bataille, Foucauld, Lacan…
Il entre dans l'Ecole de la Vie à 17 ans comme dessinateur dans une agence de publicité. L'année suivante, il s'installe à Paris et commence à travailler dans l'atelier de gravure (taille douce) de Maurice Felt côtoyant les artistes de la Galerie Maeght: Clavé, Adami, Garache…
Parallèlement et de manière autodidacte, il apprend les règles architechtoniques, puis à 19 ans, l'anatomie artistique à Munich et l'année
suivante, la technique de la fresque, les pigmentations et couleurs à Florence.
En 1982, Aristide Najean revient dans l'atelier de Maurice Felt et poursuit ses recherches picturales sur des sujets tels que les chevaux, les décors de théâtre, la ville, la mythologie et la tauromachie à laquelle il est initié par un matador.
L'activité sculpturale prolonge son travail pictural et le verre en devient une expression évidente.
En 1986, Mario Badioli, Maître verrier, l'accueille dans son atelier à Murano. Dès lors commence entre eux une riche collaboration de recherche et de réalisation.
Pour promouvoir le verre et la sculpture dans l'environnement, Aristide Najean crée en 1995 une société d'édition d'art à laquelle il se consacre pendant 5 ans.
A l'approche de l'an 2000, ses recherches le mènent vers une thématique christique qu'il étudie, le regard libre, à travers les périodes artistiques romane et moyenâgeuse, ainsi que celle de la Renaissance.

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CENNI BIOGRAFICI

Figlio di militare, Aristide Najean nasce il 4 luglio 1959 ad Algeri, durante la guerra, quando sua madre viene chiamata al capezzale di suo padre, ferito da una mina.
Durante l'infanzia può lasciare libero corso alla sua curiosità per i materiali.
Perde il padre all'età di 9 anni. Condurrà una buona carriera scolastica a Poitiers.
Si appassiona a scrittori e filosofi, legge Socrate, Platone, Deleuze, Bataille, Foucauld e Lacan. Entra nella scuola della vita a 17 anni come disegnatore in una agenzia di pubblicità. L'anno seguente si trasferisce a Parigi e incomincia a lavorare nell'atelier di incisione di Maurice Felt accostandosi agli artisti della galleria Maeght: Clavé, Adami, Garache e molti altri. Parallelamente e da autodidatta apprende le regole architettoniche, poi a 19 anni l'anatomia artistica a Monaco di Baviera, la tecnica dell'affresco e dei pigmenti l'anno seguente a Firenze.
Nel 1982 torna nell'atelier di Maurice Felt e prosegue le sue ricerche pittoriche su soggetti molto diversi tra loro: i cavalli, la città, la mitologia, la decorazione per il teatro, la tauromachia alla quale è iniziato da un matador.
L'attività scultorea nasce e si espande dalla e oltre la pittura; il vetro ne diviene l'espressione palese. Nel 1986 Mario Badioli, maestro vetraio, l'accoglie nel suo atelier a Murano, incomincia così una preziosa collaborazione ricca di ricerca e di opere. Per promuovere il vetro e la scultura Aristide Najean crea nel 1995 una società di edizione d'arte alla quale si dedica per cinque anni.
Alle soglie del 2000 le sue ricerche lo portano verso una tematica Cristiana studiando la storia Romanica, il Medioevo e il Rinascimento.
  
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EXHIBITIONS

Single exhibitions

1978 Galleria La Roue, Paris
1979 Galleria Tavalozza, Lecco
1980 Galleria Teorema, Florence
1982 Galleria Marcel Lenoir, Paris
1984 Galleria Marcel Lenoir, Paris
1985 Galleria Vieth, Cologne
1986 Galleria M.F Boulakia, Paris
1990 RVS Fine Arts, New York
1990 Galleria Trois, Geneva
1991 Galleria M.F Boulakia, Paris
2002 Galleria Laurent BOYRIE, Paris
Galleria V&A, Venice
2003 Conseil Général de Haute-Corse, Bastia, Corsica
2003 Mairie de Parigi XVI, Paris
2004 Galleria V&A, Venice

Group exhibitions

1990 Kunsthaus Am Museum Carola von Ham, Cologne
1992 Galleria Marcel Bernheim, Paris
1993 Galleria Marcel Bernheim, Paris
1994 Galleria Marbach, Mulhouse
1994 Galleria Samueli-Bugno, Venice
1995 Galleria la Pochade, Paris
1995 Galleria Espace Riquet, Bézier
1999 Galleria Arte Daniele Luchetta, Venice
2005 Galleria V&A, Venice
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I have had the pleasure of knowing Aristide Najean for several years; now I also have the pleasure of working with him!
On a hot day in August he passed by my new gallery in Venice, which had opened only a few days previously.
Aristide stopped by just as he used to when I was working in Murano, whenever he was making his glass sculptures together with one of the most famous glass master. We always enjoyed our brief encounters and discovered our shared passion for glass went beyond our mutual professional interest.
It was very natural for both of us immediately to agree to work together. It was easy for Aristide to "infect" me with his enthusiasm and his energy and in a few days his exhibition of glass sculptures and oil paintings was ready in the gallery. Since then we have enjoyed success and appreciation together.