Maurice Lemaître
Maurice Lemaître (lang; born Moïse Maurice Bismuth; 23 April 1926 – 2 July 2018) was a French Lettrist painter (known for his use of Hypergraphy), filmmaker, writer and poet. Lemaître was Isidore Isou's right-hand man for nearly half a century, but began to distance himself from Lettrism in the 2000s. Lemaître's paintings, films, photographs and sculptures have been shown in more than twenty personal exhibits in Europe and The United States.
Also recorded as Maurice Lemaitre · Maurice Lemaitre (1926-)
Maurice Lemaître
- Name
- Maurice Lemaître
- Birth Name
- Moïse Maurice Bismuth
- Born
- 23 April 1926
- Birthplace
- Paris, France
- Died
- 2 July 2018
- Education
- Arts et Métiers ParisTech
- Movement
- Lettrism
- Full name
- Moïse Maurice Bismuth.
- Nationality
- France.
- Occupation
- film director, poet, painter, writer and artist.
- Languages
- French.
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Documentary summary
Maurice Lemaître (lang; born Moïse Maurice Bismuth; 23 April 1926 – 2 July 2018) was a French Lettrist painter (known for his use of Hypergraphy), filmmaker, writer and poet. Lemaître was Isidore Isou's right-hand man for nearly half a century, but began to distance himself from Lettrism in the 2000s. Lemaître's paintings, films, photographs and sculptures have been shown in more than twenty personal exhibits in Europe and The United States.
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wikidata · Q3301049 · wikipedia · Maurice Lemaître
In this article
Biography
Biography
The Pompidou Center has acquired some of his paintings, and the Pérez Art Museum Miami, as well as the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, where in 1968, a large retrospective of his pictorial and film works took place. Poems by Lemaître were set to music by Michel Faleze and were sung by Marie-Thérèse Richol-Müller.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Maurice Lemaître • Birth Name — Moïse Maurice Bismuth • Born — 23 April 1926 • Birthplace — Paris, France • Died — 2 July 2018 • Place of death — Paris, France • Education — Arts et Métiers ParisTech • Movement — Lettrism • Notable Works — Le film est déjà commencé? (1951)
Filmography
Filmography
Director • 1951: Le film est déjà commencé? • 1975: Six films infinitésimaux et supertemporels (short film) • 1976: Un navet (short film) • 1978: The Song of Rio Jim • 2001: La Voie des dieux • 2002: Nos stars Writer • 1951: Le film est déjà commencé? by Maurice Lemaître • 1973: La Rose de fer by Jean Rollin Actor • 1952: Traité de bave et d'éternité d'Isidore Isou • 1955: Around the World with Orson Welles épisode Saint-Germain-des-Prés • 1970: La Vampire nue by Jean Rollin • 2001: La Voie des dieux by Maurice Lemaître • 2004: Le Fantôme d'Henri Langlois, documentaire by Jacques Richard • 2007: La Nuit des horloges by Jean Rollin • 2012: Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film, documentary by Pip Chodorov
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1926
Maurice Lemaître born at 10ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris.
2018
Maurice Lemaître died at 10ᵗʰ arrondissement of Paris.
Publications
• Le film est déjà commencé? Séance de cinéma, préface by Isidore Isou, éditions André Bonne, collection Pour un cinéma ailleurs - Encyclopédie du Cinéma, Paris, 1952 • Qu'est-ce que le lettrisme?, by Maurice Lemaître, Éditions Fischbacher, 1953 • Les Idées politiques du Mouvement lettriste, Éditions Lettristes • Avant toute nouvelle interview, Éditions Lettristes • Maurice Lemaître, Le Syncinéma, la Ciné-Hypergraphie et le Film Imaginaire, Éditions Paris Expérimental. • Œuvres Poétiques et Musicales Lettristes, Éditions Lettristes • 50 Ans de Peinture Lettriste, Hypergraphique, Imaginaire, Éditions Le Point Couleur • Le Mariaje du Don et de la Volga, Collection Acquaviva / Marie-Laure Dagoit Éditions Derrière la salle de bains, Rouen, 2009 • Wanted, Éditions AcquAvivA, Paris, 2009 • Sachez lire Lemaître, Éditions AcquAvivA, Paris, 2009 • Roman Futur, Éditions AcquAvivA, Paris, 2010 • Photos imaginaires médicales (partiellement) néo-nazies, Éditions AcquAvivA, Berlin, 2013 • Galipettes, Éditions AcquAvivA, Berlin, 2014
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Lemaître, Maurice Bismuth, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2011
- Lemaître, Maurice, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2011
- Maurice Lemaître, « antiphotographe » lettriste, Les Cahiers du Musée national d’art moderne, 2025
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2025
- Maurice Lemaître, Fin de tournage ? / Done With Filming ?, 1895, 2018
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2018
reference work
- “Maurice Lemaître”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3301049: Maurice Lemaître
General reference · Wikidata
Literature
Literature
Literature
Lemaître, Maurice, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011
Lemaître, Maurice Bismuth, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011
Maurice Lemaître, « antiphotographe » lettriste, Les Cahiers du Musée national d’art moderne, 2025
Da teoria letrista à prática cinematográfica de Maurice Lemaître, o caso O filme já começou?
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Lemaître, Maurice Bismuth, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011Crossref registry
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
Lemaître, Maurice, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011Crossref registry
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
Maurice Lemaître, « antiphotographe » lettriste, Les Cahiers du Musée national d’art moderne, 2025Crossref registry
Institutional witnessscholarly publication
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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