Hayter, Stanley William

Biography

Born in London in 1901, Stanley William Hayter trained as a chemist and geologist, before moving to Paris in 1926. He began taking classes at the Académie Julian, but soon left and met the engraver Joseph Hecht. In contact with Hecht, Hayter decided to take up engraving and exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1926. Appreciating collective work, he attracted many artists around him, leading to the founding of Atelier 17, officially opened in 1933. The studio functioned as a collective project with no financial or artistic constraints: Hayter asked only for the money needed to buy materials, and did not impose any particular style. Drawing on his training as a chemist, which led him to manipulate colors, he offers advice and a place for all artists wishing to innovate. During the war, he went into exile in New York and his works were exhibited at MoMA, alongside those of his Atelier 17 collaborators. Driven by his collective art project, Hayter welcomed many major artists into his studio, including Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, André Masson, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Alechinsky... Hayter produced a large number of prints. His work evolves from figuration to abstraction; he experiments with color, and moves closer to optical art in the 60s. He engraved his own works, illustrated books and produced numerous works until the end of his life in 1988.