Born : 1920Died : 1999Documented citizenships : France
At the end of the 1950s, André Breton helped bring public attention to his work.
His painting brings together two modes: geometric compositions and figurative paintings that draw on Surrealist themes, even though Laloy rejected the movement. In her study “Yves Laloy, a Dialogue between Primitivism and Surrealism”, Suzanne Duco describes a formal investigation coupled with a spiritual dimension, connected to the artist’s Catholic sensibility. In the geometric works, broken lines and zigzags form structures that the study calls “rhythmic geometry”. Other aspects of his work include organic forms, disjointed faces or figures, and paintings built around semantic and phonetic wordplay.
Montez-Uma, a geometric painting made in 1953, exemplifies this aspect of his work. In 1965, a figurative painting depicting two fish facing each other was reproduced on the cover of an edition of André Breton’s book Le Surréalisme et la peinture; its caption plays on words: “The little peas are green… The little fish are red…”.
Architectural works attributed to him include the church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Boulogne-sur-Mer and the Church of the Assumption in Coquelles. An exhibition titled Vision is listed at Galerie Perrotin in Paris in 2022.
This profile brings together identity references for Yves Laloy and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
4 references are documented at Dobiaschofsky, Sotheby’s, DognyAuction, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Works recorded at auction
Sotheby’s · Lot 83
Untitled
Property from a Private Collection, Switzerland Yves Laloy 1920 - 1999 Sans titre signed Y.Laloy (lower right) oil on canvas 60 by 100 cm. 25⅝ by 39⅜ in. Executed circa 1960.
Original catalogue wording
Sans titre Property from a Private Collection, Switzerland Yves Laloy 1920 - 1999 Sans titre signed Y.Laloy (lower right) oil on canvas 60 by 100 cm. 25⅝ by 39⅜ in. Executed circa 1960.
SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record. Documentation updated : 2026-10-19
