Peter Downsbrough

 
The work of visual artist, photographer and film artist Peter Downsbrough (1940-2024) has had a major impact on the perception of art. The varied work of the artist—ranging from sculpture and books to photography, video, and film—maintained a complex relationship with architecture and typography, while also drawing on the achievements of the early avant-garde (Bauhaus, De Stijl) and Minimal Art. In terms of form, the work of Downsbrough is highly rigorous and exhibits a powerful geometric sense, restricting itself primarily to the use of line, plane, negative space (cutting away), and delimitation. In addition to his spatial manipulations, the artist also has a keen interest in place, as is evidenced in his cartographical works and city photographs.
Downsbrough studied architecture and art. Around the mid-1960s, after several years of work and exploring materials, an evolution took place with resulted, in 1970, in the work with the Two Pipes (outside), Two Dowels (inside), and Two Lines (on paper). At the same time, he also started taking photographs to document these pieces. Buy taking photographs of "cuts" that already existed in the urban landscape. Some of these photographs were used in books, some appeared in magazines, but it wasn't until 1960 that they showed up in exhibitions. From 1977 on, Downsbrough realized several videos as well as audiotapes. A record was made in 1978 and released in 1982. In 1980, on the Spectacolor Board on Times Square, N.Y., he realized a piece, a 30 second spot shown once every hour for four days and documented it in a short film, "7 come 11". The work with maquettes as a means of exploring space and structure started around 1983. The first commissioned public work was a wall piece realized in Rennes, France, 1990.
 
Peter Downsbrough - Then Set (box set 2 books)
2015
no text
CDLA (Centre des livres d'artistes)
currently out of stock
Artist's book in two volume.
Peter Downsbrough - A]S (DVD)
2010
various
25.00 12.50 €
A static shot of a railroad bridge with a suburban train in one way then another, evoking the positioning in space and the passage of time.
Peter Downsbrough - AND[BACK (DVD)
2010
various
25.00 12.50 €
A sound and visual construction between two static shots on the axis of a street lined with bungalows: the crossroads of a busy street, with trucks and cars; the main street of an average city in North America, the immersion of the camera into the highway flows...
Peter Downsbrough - OPEN]ING (DVD)
2010
various
25.00 12.50 €
The camera explores a port area and progresses along the sand or gravel mounds, between two static shots on a double drawbridge downtown. A film about the juxtaposition, separation and collection of elements.
Peter Downsbrough - OUTSIDE (DVD)
2010
various
25.00 12.50 €
The camera follows the walls of a warehouse and pauses before each closed opening, producing a series of "paintings" that punctuate shots of the city, its organization and flow.
Peter Downsbrough - SET[ING] (DVD)
2010
various
25.00 12.50 €
A sound, linguistic and visual composition unfolds from a meeting room located in the heights of a skyscraper at La Défense in Paris. A film about the inside/outside relationship, the built environment as the natural environment for men.
Peter Downsbrough - THEN (DVD)
2010
various
25.00 12.50 €
Three buildings beside water, a map of a North American city, the flow of a highway with distant hills in the background, a slow passage on a suspension bridge towards a business center: a film about the passage of time and displacement.
Peter Downsbrough - UNTITLED 5.03 (DVD)
2010
various
25.00 12.50 €
A few piano chords on warehouses shots where human presence is discreet. A film about economy, its organization and its laws, the prima of the structure on what animates it.
Peter Downsbrough - AND[BACK + A]S + OPEN]ING + OUTSIDE + SET[ING] + THEN + UNTILTED 5.03 (7 DVDs)
2010
various
175.00 75.00 €
Special offer for the purchase of the 7 DVDs by Peter Downsbrough.
Peter Downsbrough - NOW
2010
English edition
Incertain Sens - Artist's books and editions
Artist's book.
Peter Downsbrough - And That (vinyl LP)
2009
Sub Rosa
An audio work by Peter Downsbrough, in collaboration with two musicians of the Buffle collective Xavier Garcia-Bardon and Benjamin Franklin.
Peter Downsbrough - [TILL - Limited edition
2007
French edition
Jannink - L'art en écrit
This publication, conceived by Peter Downsbrough, includes three unpublished texts and constitutes a real artist's book. The limited edition is accompanied with a box set signed and enhanced with the stamp of two parallel lines, as well as an original work, folded and inserted in the book.
Peter Downsbrough - [TILL
2007
French edition
Jannink - L'art en écrit
This publication, conceived by Peter Downsbrough, includes three unpublished texts and constitutes a real artist's book. A work on the notion of position and centring which questions the relationship between space and language.
Peter Downsbrough - ET/C
2005
bilingual edition (English / French)
various
14.00 9.00 €
Monograph with texts by Eva González-Sancho, Michel Gauthier, Line Herbert-Arnaud and Richard Klein, exploring different aspects of Downsbrough's work (movies, maps, space...).
Peter Downsbrough - ET/C (DVD)
2004
Les presses du réel – Contemporary art – Artists' books & editions
mfc-michèle didier - Import
An urban journey.
Peter Downsbrough - Group-ED (3 DVDs)
2004
Le Fresnoy
50.00 20.00 €
A video triptych.
Peter Downsbrough - Position
2004
French edition
MAMCO - Monographs
Reference monograph.
Peter Downsbrough - Many
2004
no text
various
17.00 10.00 €
Artist's book: an invitation to travel by way of a mappemonde punctuated by lines and photographs of city spaces.
Peter Downsbrough - From [to] (DVD)
2003
Les presses du réel – Contemporary art – Artists' books & editions
mfc-michèle didier - Import
(last copies available!)
A b/w movie realized in digital video, on the road and between machines.
Peter Downsbrough - AND HERE, AS
2002
no text
Incertain Sens - Artist's books and editions
Artist's book.


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