Jacques Monory (25 June 1924 – 17 October 2018) was a French painter and filmmaker whose work bridged painting and cinema. He first showed his paintings at the Drouant-David Gallery in Paris in 1952 and emerged in the 1960s as one of the leading figures of the European response to Pop Art and narrative figuration. His output includes large-scale paintings, film work and series that explore cinematic composition, memory and urban violence.
Style and recurring themes
Monory is widely recognized for a cool, cinematic approach to image-making. He frequently used photographic sources and filmic sequencing to structure compositions, isolating moments that suggest a story rather than depicting a full narrative. A striking formal trademark was his frequent use of monochrome blue tonality, which lends his canvases an atmospheric, often melancholic distance. Subjects such as crime, death, solitude and the effects of modern technology recur throughout his career.
Career highlights and key works
During the 1960s Monory was associated with artists who favored figurative storytelling over abstract art. In 1968 he both directed the experimental film Ex- and produced the painting series Les Meurtres (The Murders), works that exemplify his interest in cinematic pacing and narrative fragmentation. Monory continued to exhibit internationally and participated in group movements identified with European Pop Art and figuration narrative.
Notable series and media
- Les Meurtres (1968) — a set of paintings exploring staged acts of violence and aftermath.
- Monochrome blue works — paintings characterized by limited chromatic range and cinematic lighting.
- Film and video experiments — including the 1968 film Ex-, which reflects his painterly use of montage and time.
Monory's practice blurred boundaries between still and moving image, influencing later artists who looked to cinema as a model for pictorial structure. His works have been discussed in connection with broader mid-20th-century debates about representation, media and narrative in art.
Jacques Monory died in Paris on 17 October 2018 at the age of 94; contemporary reports noted he died of pneumonia (cause) and announced his passing in French press outlets (news).