André Brasilier

Opera Gallery is proud to present André Brasilier, a selection of André Brasilier’s most iconic paintings from the past sixty years. Aged 89 the French artist is one of the worlds’ most acclaimed living fauvist painters. Celebrated for his palette of vivid primary colours, and his iconic paintings of horses, in his lifetime Brasilier has been the subject of over 100 solo exhibitions across 20 countries. Brasilier has been the recipient of several awards including the 1952 Prix Florence Blumenthal and the 1953 Prix de Rome.

Along with Picasso, Brasilier is the only artist to have been the subject of a retrospective at Russia’s Saint Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum during his lifetime, in 2005. A second retrospective followed in 2007, at the Museum Haus Ludwig für Kunstausstellungen Saarlouis in Germany.

Brasilier’s output to-date has been diverse, comprising tapestry, stage decoration and book illustration, as well as ceramics. The latter are particularly well-regarded; like Picasso, Brasilier spent time working in Vallauris in the south of France and has exhibited alongside Picasso, Braque, Chagall and Miro.

It is as a painter, however, that he has achieved greatest recognition, returning to distinct subjects that have come to define his career. His paintings are inspired by the work of the Fauves and Gauguin, who he describes as his “père spiritual”, and whose influence can be seen in the bright palette of vivid blues, pinks, oranges and yellows used in his work.

Horses are one of Brasilier’s most used motifs, racing through his landscapes with riders, or as wild herds. As a muse horses are second only to his wife, Chantal, who inspires all of his nudes, and who he describes ‘as a constant source of inspiration’ and who he lives with at his studio in the Château de Loupeigne in Picardy, France.