Born in Lille in 1921, Jean Dewasne is considered one of the masters of constructive abstraction. He pursued rigorous classical and musical studies before enrolling at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he attended architecture workshops for two years before turning to painting. In 1950, he participated with Auguste Herbin in the creation of the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles.
In 1951, he created his first Antisculpture: a convex or hollowed volume covered with industrial paint. He was drawn to the effects of gloss and matte in industrial paint (glycerophthalic lacquer, lacquers, cold enamel), and in the various supports (aluminum, hardboard, metallic surfaces such as car or truck chassis), and claimed the title of "painter of the industrial age." He used geometric abstract forms in intense colors, emphasizing primary colors. Like his friend Victor Vasarely, Jean Dewasne developed a rational, almost mathematical body of work which he called "plastic ensembles," without, however, confining himself to circles, squares, and triangles.
Recognized for his large, eminently modern mural and monumental compositions, linked to architectural and urban planning projects, he was responsible for the colour scheme of the Centre Pompidou (1970), various decorations for the Renault headquarters (1975), metro stations in Hanover (1975) and Rome (2000), and the monumental frescoes of the Grande Arche de la Défense (1989).
In 2011, his work and archives were donated to the State, which transferred ownership of Jean Dewasne's works to numerous French museums, including the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, which in the past dedicated two exhibitions to him: in 1969 "Dewasne: Mural Paintings" and in 1975 "Dewasne: Antisculptures Male Brains", at the ARC.