Jacques Bral Painter

Born in Tehran in 1948, Jacques Bral would introduce his early works in Iran with 2 solo exhibitions as well as several other group exhibitions. He published a book, Drawing Workbook, with Mehrdad Farivar and Kamal Hejazi in the summer of 1965, and he also illustrated three books for his Austrian and Iranian friend, Hamid Sadr.

Jacques then arrived in France in 1966. He studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris (Aretch shop), and he regularly attended workshops located at Montparnasse.

Since 1970, Bral has officially become a director, but he still continues to scribble, draw, paint, or make use of whatever medium he has on hand.  From the restaurant napkin to the XXL fabrics, to this day Jacques has produced several thousands of drawings.

A stripped cinema, few paint strokes: Jacques Bral had the power to tell a great deal by showing only the essentials.

 

 

Jacques Bral Movie Director

A secretive and rare movie director, Jacques Bral was born on September 21st 1948 in Teheran (Iran). He was a French screenwriter, director, editor and producer. After graduating from the Alborz High School in Teheran, Jacques Bral, aged 18, left the country to settle down in France in 1966. Between 1966 and 1968, he studied architecture at the Beaux-Arts (Artech workshop), and then entered the ‘Institut de Formation Cinématographique’. He co-directed the short movie Quand tout le monde est parti starring Julien Levi and Jean-Paul Leca and two full length features : M88 (1970) and Frisou (1973) in black and white and 16 mm.

In 1975, he directed Une baleine qui avait mal aux dents, starring Francis Blanche and Bernadette Lafont.

In 1978, he created a production company, Les Films Noirs, with his partners Jean-Paul Leca and Julien Lévi, and directed Extérieur, Nuit, starring Christine Boisson, Gérard Lanvin and André Dussolier, which was awarded with the ‘Perspectives du cinéma français’ Prize in Cannes and the Bronze Leopard in Locarno (among other awards).

He then shot Polar in 1984, an adaptation from a Jean-Patrick Manchette thriller, Morgue Pleine, starring Jean-François Balmer as Eugène Trapon, the Parisian detective, with a cameo appearance by film director Claude Chabrol.

In 1989, he produced Street of No Return (Sans espoir de retour), the great American movie director Samuel Fuller’s last movie (Sam Fuller directed Shock Corridor, Pick Up On South Street and many other films).

In 1993, he shot Mauvais garcon, a poetic tale with Delphine Forest and Bruno Wolkowitch.

After many years of writing, he shot Un printemps à Paris in 2006, with Eddy Mitchell and Sagamore Stevenin. The movie won the ‘Grand Prix de Police Paris/New-York Festival’ award in 2007.

2012, Le noir (te) vous va si bien, with Sofiia Manousha, Lounès Tazaïrt, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Julien Baumgartner, Elise Lhomeau, Souad Amidou, Salim Kechiouche, Thierry Lhermitte, Sid Ahmed Agoumi, Delphine Rich, Magid Bouali, Lisa Makhedjouf.

 

 

Tribute to Jacques Bral by Noel Coret, president of the Salon d'Automne in 2014

(Transcript of the opening speech of the Salon d'Automne 2014) 

A revelation: Jacques Bral, you know it all ...The director of Extérieur Nuit the beautiful and mythical.  It reminds us of the writings of Hermann Hesse.He is an exceptional filmmaker, and I didn't know, but he's also a very skilled painter.

A great painter who chose the Salon d'Automne where a space has been dedicated to him. When I discovered his work, it was a wonderful shock.

Jacques has a style that is totally self-taught.  All at once he has integrated the Cobra movement, Basquiat, and someone like Helion, who you know.

All of the images are synthesized by his very own effort and influence.  They are quite original and extraordinary, and they demonstrate great quality for those who study painting very closely...

Although sometimes the colors tend to be a bit extreme or violent, they are presented in this way voluntarily. And this quality of deafening silence is veritably his trademark. This is a truly poetic atmosphere, and I am really very happy to be paying this homage to Jacques.

 

Jacques Bral Sculptor

Jacques Bral has dedicated the last two years of his life to the creation of monumental sculptures in bronze, inspired by his paintings.

 

The first series of his sculptures was completed in December 2020.

 

 

Jacques Bral died in Paris on January 17, 2021.