René Brô - The Man With The Hat - Oil On Canvas Circa 1950

René Brô (1930 – 1986)
The Man with a Hat
Oil on canvas
Circa 1950
Signed lower right
Dimensions: 34 × 65 cm

A certificate of authenticity issued by the artist’s family will be provided to the buyer.

The gallery is pleased to present a work by one of its favorite artists, René Brô.

Brô’s works remain relatively scarce on the market. Although he was a prolific artist, most of his paintings are now held in private collections, from which they rarely emerge, as their singularity and strong presence make them particularly cherished by their owners.

René Brô is represented in major public collections, including the Guggenheim Museum in Venice, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. More recently, in 2025, his Secrétaire fantastique entered the permanent collection of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

A key figure of the post-war Parisian art scene, Brô was supported by the influential gallerist Iris Clert, alongside major 20th-century artists such as Yves Klein and Jean Tinguely. He also maintained a close friendship with Friedensreich Hundertwasser, with whom he collaborated, an artistic proximity that can be felt in the Austrian painter’s work.

The present painting appears to date from a relatively early period in the artist’s career. It depicts a central figure wearing a hat, flanked on the left by a horse, a rare subject in Brô’s work, and on the right by a stylized, almost sun-like face.

The composition, both dense and enigmatic, invites a gradual reading. Forms intertwine and slowly reveal themselves within a highly personal visual language. The palette, particularly refined, reflects the artist’s distinctive practice, as he was known for creating his own pigments and colors.

Gallery’s view:
An enigmatic and deeply poetic work, characteristic of René Brô’s singular universe. A painting that immediately captures the eye and continues to unfold over time: a true favorite.