Albert Bitran (French, 1929-2018)

Albert Bitran was a French abstract artist of the Postwar School of Paris, his work is most commonly associated with Lyrical Abstraction and Abstract Expressionism. A unique aspect of Albert Bitran’s practice was his strive to achieve a synthesis of the rigid geometric and the fluid lyrical abstractions. Of Turkish origin and born in Istanbul, Bitran moved to Paris to begin studies at the Ecole Spéciale d’Architecture. However, at the age of 17, he was already aware that he wanted to become a painter, not an architect. Nonetheless, architecture continues to remain an important structural basis for Bitran’s abstract compositions. Particularly prominent is the motif of the Arcade, an important link to the artist’s childhood in Istanbul.

Works by Albert Bitran are in the collections of Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; Istanbul Modern; Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco; Statens Museum for Kunst, Copenhagen; Contemporary Art Society, London; Cuban State Collection, Havana; and many other public collections.