René Guiette (1893-1976), born in Antwerp, was the son of the luminist painter Jules Guiette (1852–1901) and the brother of the poet Robert Guiette (1895–1976). During the First World War, he produced a series of portraits while cultivating a profound fascination with Eastern civilizations, philosophies, and esoteric thought. After the Armistice, he pursued a career as a self-taught painter, guided by an independent and inquisitive spirit.
Guiette spent extended periods in Paris, where he developed close ties with literary figures such as Blaise Cendrars and Max Jacob, the latter observing: “It is indeed rare that plastic invention should unite with such qualities of heart and spirit on the canvas…”

In November 1925, René Guiette commissioned Le Corbusier to design a house for him, modeled on the Paris residence of the painter Amédée Ozenfant. Constructed in 1926 at 32 Avenue des Peupliers in Antwerp, this house-studio — the only building by Le Corbusier in Belgium — would leave a lasting imprint on Guiette’s exploration of pictorial space.

During this period, Guiette entered into a contract with the Galerie Le Centaure, which represented, among others, leading Expressionist and Surrealist artists. From 1932 onward, he also turned to photography, capturing reportage and intimate scenes while exploring plastic and expressive experiments, some of which would later inform his paintings.

Another significant phase in Guiette’s oeuvre was marked by a curvilinear figuration reminiscent of Picasso. For roughly fifteen years, he pursued his pictorial explorations alongside Picasso’s evolving styles, adapting them to the demands of his own artistic vision.

In October 1948, Guiette joined the Compagnie de l’Art Brut, founded by Jean Dubuffet. From that point on, matter became a central element in his work, serving to reveal the subject in a primitive form. His art moved toward an informal style, and the sign gradually took on a calligraphic quality, reflecting the influence of Zen philosophy through the 1960s and beyond.