Lesage, Simon, Crépin. Peintres, spirites & guérisseurs

Lesage, Simon, Crépin. Peintres, spirites & guérisseurs – Catalogue of the exhibition Lesage, Simon, Crépin. Peintres, spirites & guérisseurs, presented at LaM, Villeneuve d’Ascq (October 5, 2019 – January 5, 2020). These three artists (Victor Simon (1903-1976), Augustin Lesage (1876-1954), and Fleury Joseph Crépin (1875-1948), all three from northern France) were underground miners, plumber-ziners, or cafekeepers at the time the voices commanded them to paint, they would under the guidance of the afterlife change the course of their lives. What they have in common is that they are all healers.

Conceived as spiritual edifications, their paintings concentrate (combine) influences and motifs of Christian, Hindu, Islamic or even ancient Egyptian origin.

From these strange works of great plastic quality, the catalog travels through the spiritualist societies, the mining basin, the world wars, the universal exhibitions before going through Morocco, Algeria and Egypt where these spiritualist creations met an astonishing success.

Their paintings will be collected by André Breton, Jean Dubuffet who classified them in the art brut or Nicolas Schöffer, they know now an international influence.