Erik Desmazières - prints and biography

Catalogs

Erik Desmazières is widely regarded as one of the greatest contemporary printmakers, celebrated for the meticulous detail, imaginative scope, and timeless quality of his etchings. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has been the subject of more than twenty major museum retrospectives across Europe, Canada, and the United States. In 2009, he was elected to the prestigious Académie des Beaux-Arts de l'Institut de France, a recognition of his enduring contributions to the art of printmaking.

Born in Rabat, Morocco in 1948, Desmazières moved to France at a young age and has made Paris his home. His academic training began at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris, after which he pursued his passion for printmaking at the Cours du Soir de la Ville de Paris. His dedication to the medium soon distinguished him as a master of intaglio techniques, and he has since become a central figure in French printmaking. He also serves as president of La Société des Peintres-Graveurs Français, continuing the legacy of one of France’s most historic printmaking societies.

Desmazières is often associated with the Art Fantastique school, which traces its lineage back to visionary figures such as Rodolphe Bresdin, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Jacques Callot, and Albrecht Dürer. Like his predecessors, he creates richly detailed worlds where imagination and observation merge. His etchings often depict fantastical architecture, labyrinthine libraries, and imaginary cities, blending Renaissance rigor with a surreal sense of wonder. In addition to these visionary works, his still lifes are admired for their ethereal qualities, achieved through his mastery of atmospheric light and texture.

Beyond individual prints, Desmazières has gained recognition for his artist’s books and portfolios, which showcase his ability to marry visual narrative with literary and philosophical themes. His works are housed in major museum collections worldwide, including the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Through his art, Erik Desmazières extends the grand European printmaking tradition into the 21st century, crafting images that remain both rooted in history and alive with imaginative possibility.

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See info and pictures on The Library of Babel