Bernard Buffet

Bernard Buffet (July 10 1928 – October 4 1999) was a French painter of Expressionism and Member of the Anti-Abstract Art Group "L 'homme Témoin". ["DuMont's Künstlerlexikon", "DuMont Buchverlag Köln", Cologne, 1997] Infobox Artist
bgcolour = silver
name = Bernard Buffet


imagesize = 245px
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = July 10 1928
location = Paris, France
deathdate = October 4 1999
deathplace = Tourtour, France
nationality = French
field = Painting, Drawing, Printmaking
training = École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts
movement = Expressionism
works =
patrons =
awards = Member of the Salon d'Automne, 1947
Member of the Société des Artistes Indépendants, 1947
"Prix de la Critique", 1948
"Prix Puvis de Chavannes", 1950
Officer of the Légion d'Honneur,1973
Member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, 1974

Life and Work

Buffet was born in Paris, France, and studied art there at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (National School of the Fine Arts) and worked in the studio of the painter Eugène Narbonne. Among his classmates were Maurice Boitel and Louis Vuillermoz.

Sustained by the picture-dealer Maurice Garnier, Buffet produced religious pieces, landscapes, portraits and still-lifes. In 1946, he had his first painting shown, a self-portrait, at the Salon des Moins de Trente Ans at the Galerie Beaux-Arts. He had at least one major exhibition every year. Buffet illustrated "Les Chants de Maldoror" written by Comte de Lautréamont in 1952. In 1955, he was awarded the first prize by the magazine Connaissance des arts, which named the 10 best post-war artists. In 1958, at the age of 30, the first retrospective of his work was held at the Galerie Charpentier.

December 12, 1958 Buffet married the writer and actress Annabel Schwob. His daughter Virginie was born in 1962, and his daughter Danielle in 1963. His son Nicolas was born in 1973, the same year that he was named "Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur". One of Buffet's disciples, Jean Claude Gaugy, was the father of Linear Expressionism. ["gaugy.com"]

November 23, 1973 the Bernard Buffet Museum was inaugurated; it was founded by Kiichiro Okano, in Surugadaira, Japan.

At the request of the French postal administration in 1978, he designed a stamp depicting the Institut et le Pont des Arts - on this occasion the Post Museum arranged a retrospective of his works. [MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt am Main, "Bernard Buffet Maler Painter Peintre", "Brochure", 2008, April]

Buffet created more than 8.000 paintings and many prints as well.

He committed suicide at his home in Tourtour, Southern France, on October 4 1999. Buffet was suffering from Parkinson's disease and was no longer able to work. Police said that Buffet died around 4 p.m after putting his head in a plastic bag attached around his neck with tape.

Theme Exhibitions (Selection)

ee also

* "Bernard Buffet", a 1956 film by Étienne Périer

References

* [http://www.artnet.com/magazine_pre2000/news/darmon/darmon10-25-99.asp "artnet"]

External links

* [http://museebernardbuffet.com/ Musee Bernard Buffet]