Quai de Grenelle, 1977 , Torn posters on canvas, 46.9 x 32.7 inches
Jacques Villeglé, one of the founding members of the Nouveau Réalisme movement, is perhaps best known for his Lettrist works and lacerated posters. Using décollage techniques, Villeglé finds layers of commercial posters that have been damaged by people or the elements. Each torn layer reveals parts of the ones beneath it, creating an image from reduction rather than construction. Villeglé prefers to leave the posters in their found states, only minimally altering them if necessary. Like his contemporaries in Nouveau Réalisme, Villeglé works with themes such as the appropriation of consumerism and human movement.