Michel Batlle

Michel Batlle was born in Toulouse on April 3, 1946. His father had fled to France during the Spanish Civil War. Batlle began making a name for himself in 1966 with “Psycho Physiographie” – a term that describes the graphic representation of interrelations between the human mind and body (creating imaginary anatomies in which minds and bodies merge). From 1966 to 1969, he focused on radiographic art and specially conceptualized photography. In 1970, he abandoned abstraction in favor of a new Expressionist form of figural art. From 1971 to 1975, Batlle specialized in performance painting and land art, creating critical parodies on the eccentricities of the modern international art market. In 1980, he first issued the magazine Axe Sud, which centers on new figural art and English sculpture. During this period, Batlle’s work was closely related to the art of the “transavantgarde” movement. Up until the end of the 20th century, Batlle dedicated himself to humanist themes (e.g. in a series of works called “guerres culturelles”). He returned to strictly physical subjects in 2000. In keeping with his global spirit and intercultural attitude, he had studios in Toulouse and Niger (Agadez).