Literature

Jacques Pons was born in Avignon in 1936, spending his childhood in the Ardèche region of Southern France. In 1953 he attended the École Allard in Marseille to study art for four years, winning several awards.

In 1958 he returned to the Ardèche region where he continued to paint and exhibit in local galleries. A trip to Corsica proved to be a defining moment in his career, where his discovery of the clear, intense light of that island influenced his palette dramatically. From then on, he painted in the rich and vibrant tones for which he is most renowned. He stayed in Corsica for two years.

A childhood friend and fellow artist Jean Paul Cleren encouraged him to move to St. Tropez and set up a framing business. The move enabled Pons to meet many fellow and well-established artists such as Bernard Buffet, Antoni Clavé, Leonor Fini, Pierre Yves Tremoi and the many writers who had made their homes in St. Tropez including Françoise Sagan, André Roussin and Dominique Lapierre.

Jacques Pons’ wife opened an art gallery in St. Tropez in1971 where she exhibited the works of many international artists including those of her husband. As a result, his painting now gained a wider and more international audience. He continued to live and work in St. Tropez until 1985 both as an artist and framer.

In 1985, Pons moved to the Averyron region of southern France to concentrate entirely on his painting.

The paintings of Jacques Pons are characterised by an atmosphere of intense light and heat, evocative of the South. His gifts as a colourist follow directly the influence of the early Twentieth Century Fauve artists, led by Henri Matisse. The Fauves were named by the art critic, Louis Vauxcelles, who was outraged at the Salon d'Automme 1905 exhibition, by the various artists extraordinarily bold use of colour.

Examples of Jacques Pons work can be found in various collections in France, Switzerland, Germany, USA, United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

Exhibitions include:

Group Exhibition at Aix-en-Provence, 1958

Exposition at the Gallerie Alfad, 1961

Studio Exhibition, St. Tropez, 1962

Paris Biennial, 1963

"Grands and jeunes d'aujourd'hui," Grand Palais, Paris 1967

Exposition du Point, Avignon, 1969

Exhibition at St. Tropez, Marseille, Nice, Cannes, and Grasse, 1971

Retrospective Mairie IVème, Ville de Paris