Thomas Auriol, Sans titre, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, 2018, courtesy of the artist

THE POWER OF FRENCH CONTEMPORARY PAINTING – New beginnings Part 3

Welcome to the 3rd part of our article about THE POWER OF FRENCH CONTEMPORARY PAINTING – New beginnings! As a French painter myself, I’ve wanted to tell you more about the scene for YEARS. Many are missing – Lévy-Lasne’s conference included about 120 artists – so a tough selection was made. In this article, I will introduce a panorama of the scene from my humble position without elaborating on each painter. Please check websites and links for more information.

French Painting is still mostly associated with modernism – or even impressionism. And indeed, when New York replaced Paris as the Capital of Contemporary Art after WWII, the painting scene started to seriously wilt – excepting lyrical abstraction that I am willingly setting aside.
In the ’80s, few were still talking about painting in France anymore. The Art Schools (Écoles des Beaux-Arts) in the ’90s and 00’s only taught seriously drawing and painting for one miserable year. Even when the students were interested, the teachers regularly pushed them over to other media. This is my experience, but also one of many colleagues I’ve encountered over the years. The Beaux-Arts de Paris kept some painting and drawing classes accessible, but they were clearly not the stars of the school.

But, surprisingly, painting survived and is now burgeoning with strength. As if this time of latency had prepared for a new beginning. Read Part 1 HERE and Part 2

Iris Levasseur

Iris Levasseur, bbp marbre, watercolour on paper, 114,5x224cm, 2015, courtesy of the artist

Iris Levasseur, oil version orange, black stone and watercolour on paper, 129,5 x22-cm, 2019, courtesy of the artist

Next shows:

14.04 – 29.09 2019, Intriguing Uncertainties, The Parkview Green Museum, Beijing
March – April 2019, Dialogues, Galerie Odile Ouizeman, Paris

www.galerieouizeman.com

Thomas Lévy-Lasne

Thomas Lévy-Lasne,  Webcam 41, pencil on paper, 12,5x15cm, 2015, courtesy of the artist

Thomas Lévy-Lasne, Vertigo, oil on canvas, 2016, courtesy of the artist

News:

2018 – 2019, a resident at the Villa Medicis, Rome 

www.thomaslevylasne.com

Laurent Proux

Laurent Proux, Pulp, oil on canvas, 97_x_130_cm, 2017, courtesy of the artist

Laurent Proux, Sensation, oil on canvas, 174_x_130_cm,2017, courtesy of the artist

www.laurentproux.com

Romain Bernini

Romain Bernini, Vâhana IV,  Superimposed canvases, oil on canvas 200 x 160 cm, 2016, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve

Romain Bernini, Vâhana III, Superimposed canvases, oil on canvas 200 x 160 cm, 2016, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve

suzanne-tarasieve.com/artist/romain-bernini/

Henni Alftan

Henni Alftan, Eyes on You, oil on canvas, 73x92cm, 2015, courtesy of the artist

Henni Alftan, Paperback, oil on canvas, 117×92 cm, 2018, courtesy of the artist

www.hennialftan.com

Amélie Bertrand

Amélie Bertrand, Daisy Temple, oil on canvas, 220 x 180 cm, 2018,

Courtesy Semiose, Paris, Photo: A. Mole

Amélie Bertrand, Naked light, oil on canvas, 90 x 80 cm, 2018, Courtesy Semiose, Paris, Photo: A. Mole

www.semiose.fr/fr/artistes/oeuvres/1172/amelie-bertrand

Mireille Blanc

Mireille Blanc, Bustes, oil and spray on canvas, 78 x 100 cm, 2018, Collection Artothèque Grand-Quevilly

Next show:

28.03 – 18.05 2019 SPRING, The Pill gallery, Istanbul

Dec. 2018 > April 2019, FEEDBACK, Musée Crozatier, Le Puy-en-Velay 

mireilleblanc.com

Thomas Auriol

Thomas Auriol, Cyprine, acrylic on canvas, 130 x 160 cm, 2018 courtesy of the artist

Thomas Auriol, Sans-titre, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, 2018, courtesy of the artist

Next show:

18.05 – 20.07 2019, Exposition collective à la Vigie, Nîmes

thomasauriol.fr

Claire Chesnier

Claire Chesnier, 030217, ink on paper, 158,5 x 134 cm, 2017, courtesy of the artist

Claire Chesnier, 300517.2, ink on paper, 165 x 132 cm, 2017, courtesy of the artist

Next show:

L’Art dans les chapelles, curated by Eric Suchère, Pontivy

Une réserve de Nuit, Claire Chesnier & Estèla Alliaud, curated by John Cornu, Galerie Art et Essai, Rennes

www.clairechesnier.com

Watch the conference  ‘Vitalité de la Peinture Contemporaine’