[3] From 1945 to 1949 the artist worked under the influence of Pablo Picasso, André Masson, Paul Klee and François Desnoyer [fr], his professor at École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris.

The following year, Messagier deliberately broke away from his expressionistic form of Post-Cubism; his inspirations now focused on Jean Fautrier and Pierre Tal-Coat to develop a personal vision in which he renders "light...approached abstractly.

From 1962 until the year of his death Jean Messagier exhibited in France and abroad, taking part in some major international events as a representative of new trends in French painting.

[8] At l'Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, his professors included Roland Oudot, Maurice Brianchon, Raymond Legueult and François Desnoyer.

L'informel became the dominant expression of the times, not solely amongst the critics, poets and artists, but also among scientists and philosophers, such as Merleau-Ponty and Bachelard, and psychiatrists oriented toward phenomenology who used post-Freudian theory to speak of "paysage intérieur", the internal landscape of the personality.

[10] Allusive and dissolved forms that he painted so far gave way to vast indeterminate stretches of monochrome color, expressing Messagier's unswerving commitment to nature, air and light.

On July 13th, 1962, to inaugurate his new studio located in an old mill next to "les Trois cantons" at the foot of the Charrot bridge that spans the Doubs river, Messagier organized his first massive party lasting several days.

Everyone from local government officials, artist friends from Paris (including the painters Bram van Velde, Serge Poliakoff and Pierre Alechinsky, the writer Samuel Beckett, the architect Jean-Louis Veret (student of Le Corbusier), well-known gallery owners, dealers, collectors and construction workers (in brief, the entire population of village) were invited.

The following year Messagier created an annual shooting competition, and became a full member of the Comité National de la Gravure Française.

In 1967 he participated again in the international exhibition in Pittsburgh[12] and the release of a series of artistic postal stamps[13] and co-created a fresco for the Salon de Mai in Paris.

This concept of rhythm is explicitly mentioned by a number of painters in addition to Messagier; Jean René Bazaine, Raoul Ubac and Zao Wou Ki.

[16] During the winter of 1969 Messagier elaborated a technique he called "le Gel"[17] in an effort to perfect a certain number of compositions whereby nature itself (e.g., temperature, hydrometry, condensation, and decomposition) would intervene in the creative process.

[17][20] From the 1970s onwards, Messagier simultaneously evoked images from popular culture such as Goldorak, Marsupilami, Betty Boop, or famous figures like Lady Diana or Greta Garbo, and shamelessly shook up his masters by quoting Delacroix, Matisse, Picasso.

These years 1970-80, where he painted the beautiful triviality of fried eggs, radishes, giant mille-feuilles and the poetry of poppies, daisies, frost, monotypes with direct impressions of leaves or lace on the other.

In this phrase, writes Alexandre Rolla, "Jean Messagier gives some clues as to the nature of the gesture", the stance he defended throughout his life, and observed throughout his oeuvre, "a winding path that should be explored today, to consider, finally, the importance of this work in the history of art.