The Marcel C. Salinas Trust Presents
Renowned Internationally Noted Artist
Marcel Salinas
Marcel Salinas Photography Exhibition
QCC Art Gallery - New York City
"Travels to NYC 1957"
Opening Autumn 2025
Victor Vasarely:
“I wish to attest to the importance of the work of the painter and lithographer, Marcel Salinas."
Henri Cartier-Bresson:
“To my Guru with all my friendship- Henri”
Ludwig Bemelmans:
“Salinas is not only an artist of independence, individual style and talent, he is also a savant,."
1913 - 2010
1913 - 2010
Marcel Salinas' life was an enigma.
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In an age of fast is best - he advocated not only slow but very slow.
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In an age of who needs art skills - he spent his whole long-life teaching painting and lithography skills to artists all over the world.
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In an age where we tend to accept mediocre on our walls to satisfy "interior design" - he always fought for the best art to be created, with painstaking precision and care by artists both of note and unknown.
He started his life in Egypt but was not Egyptian. He was born in Alexandria as a fluke with European parents residing in Egypt. He never felt fully at home there but it shaped his life for the next 96 years.
With the movie-star looks of Valentino - tall, thin, charming. With an adventurous spirit, he was probably totally out of place and probably having a great time!
He was trained in Egypt to see light - to see color - to see harmony and it never left his work or his life.
He found his real world and real artistic world when he arrived in Paris in the 1950s, where he continued his studies with the artist Andre L’Hote. There he struggled with paying the bills with his art, like so many others before and after him.
With his innate artistic talents, he was able to use his prodigious abilities is all forms: paintings: oil, watercolor, gouache; printmaking and photography.
His sophisticated creations in lithography soon gave him the reputation as the "Grand Master" of that specialty - the most elite printing technique created which is almost totally non-existent today.
He met artists in Paris...worked with them...struggled with them…drank wine with them and became a citizen of the world in every sense.
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He married – twice.
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He traveled – extensively.
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He saw every museum, he ever found and every artist’s studio there was. Freezing cold ateliers and boiling hot attics filled with as yet unsold art and…
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He was there!
Everybody wanted Marcel to work with them - to help them create everything they could - even Pablo Picasso.
Picasso so celebrated the creation of the "Imaginary Portraits" portfolio, that he allowed both of their names to be on the lithographs... unheard of for Picasso and a great compliment to Marcel.
Written by: Carolyn Solomon, Fine Art Publisher
Collaborations, Exhibits & Collections
Salinas and Surrealism "Naissance / Birth"
Salinas, an inquisitive intellectual, was inspired by the Surrealists to explore the rich dreamworld of the unconscious. In 1944, he painted the provocative surrealistic masterpiece “Naissance / Birth”.
Admired and acknowledged by museum professionals and connoisseurs of Surrealism, “Naissance / Birth” is considered one of the key paintings of the Surrealist movements.
“Naissance / Birth” was chosen to be included in the two major exhibitions of Surrealism of the 21st century:
Salinas & Toulouse Lautrec
In 1992, the Count of Toulouse-Lautrec, 91 years old, the head of the noble family of the renowned artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He chose Marcel Salinas to recreate 2 oil paintings as limited edition, hand drawn lithographs:
The Count joined Pablo Picasso acknowledging the unsurpassed talents of Salinas. They valued Salinas’ unique gifts of capturing the artist’s spirit, the artist’s inner essence. Salinas artistic genius imbues his lithographs with the light and sparkle of the paintings.
When these limited editions were printed, the Count of Toulouse- Lautrec proudly signed his name on each numbered proof.
"At The Moulin Rouge:
The Dance"
"The Clownesse:
Cha-U-Kao"
Toulouse Lautrec
EstateSigned Limited Editions
© 1992-2023 – Editions des Légendes
© 1992-2023 – Editions des Légendes
© 1992-2023 – Editions des Légendes
Salinas & Picasso Collaboration
When Pablo Picasso decided to re-create his series of 29 “Imaginary Portraits” gouache paintings as limited-edition lithographs, he did not want an artist who would merely copy the paintings.
Picasso craved to find an artist who when looking at each painting would capture and interpret the bold movement of the brushwork, the exciting colors, the feelings of joy, the clever slyness and the humor of the artworks.
The Fates smiled upon Picasso for he found an artist imbued with these longed for talents….he found his kindred soul…Marcel Salinas.
Picasso was delighted with Salinas’s interpretations of these 29 paintings. This was the ONLY time in his long and prolific career that Picasso ever allowed another artist’s name to appear with his.
Erte Alphabet Portfolio
Hand-Signed Erte - Alpahbet Letter "N"
Salinas and Erté
Erté, the Art Déco fashion illustrator from the 1920’s and 1930’s, was in his 80’s when the art publishers: Carolyn and Jack Solomon of “Circle Fine Art” and “S2 Art” found him in quiet retirement living in Paris and introduced him to Marcel Salinas.
Their meeting sparked a new renaissance for Erté when Salinas, took him under his wing.
Working closely with Erté in the Paris ateliers (printshops), Salinas oversaw and supervised the creation of each Erté original painting as hand created lithographs and serigraphs. Together, they created over 100 sold-out, limited, hand-signed editions.
Salinas and Dalí Collaboration
Salvador Dalí was asked to create deck of Tarot cards for the 1973 James Bond film “Live and Let Die”, the first to star Roger Moore. Dalí created his original artworks for the Tarot but the project never went forward.
In 1976, the U. S. publisher, Lyle Stuart asked Dalí to recreate the Tarot cards as limited edition original lithographs drawn and signed by hand.
This posed an extremely complex problem.
Dalí had given his imagination and talents free reign for the original Tarot cards. Each card was not simply a drawing but a complex collage.
Dalí had used translucent watercolors and powerful gouache colors, cutting and pasting parts photographs of well-known paintings or people or butterflies - all these unique elements on the original were all integral parts of the finished artwork.
Recreating the collage in a singular lithograph medium posed a nearly insurmountable challenge.
Dalí agreed to undertake the project only if his friend and respected colleague Marcel Salinas would collaborate and work with him.
Salinas spent nearly 2 years studying, advising and working with Dalí to create the limited-edition lithographs of Dalí’s Tarot cards. Dalí was very pleased with the vivid and exciting results.
Salinas - Articles, Exhibitions, Comments
Salinas & Artist Friends
Salinas was highly respected and valued by his contemporaries in the artworld.
Yves Ganne
Click on Name for more Info