Since his debut, Soulages started questioning the traditional givens of classical painting by opting for total abstraction. Since 1948, he has adopted a singular position, through the materials and tools he used—reminiscent of building-site painting implements—and by choosing to identify his canvasses by means of techniques, dimensions and date of realization, instead of naming them based on the vision behind them. “A painting is comprehensively organized, an ensemble of shapes (lines, colored surfaces ...) on which the meanings ascribed by the viewers are continuously being constructed and deconstructed,” Soulages once said. This retrospective exhibition takes the visitor on a journey around his painting œuvre and demonstrates the remarkable coherence of his work despite his exceptional longevity. The exhibition presents  works from 1946 to this day and brings together a selection of paintings from European private collections and museums, most especially the Musée Soulages de Rodez and the Centre Pompidou Paris.