Bernard Buffet

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 Légion d'honneur". One of Buffet's disciples, Jean Claude Gaugy, was the father of Linear Expressionism. He now lives in New Mexico with his wife, Cerberus.^[2]

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.^[3]

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.

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Bernard Buffet Biography

1928   Born in Paris 1939   Entered the Lycée Carnot, Paris, after studying at the École des Jésuites. 1943   Expelled from the Lycée Carnot. Started attending an evening class in drawing. 1943   In December of this year, he gained a place at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, working in the studio of Eugène Narbonne (b 1885). 1945   Left the École des Beaux-Arts and travelled to Brittany with his mother, but after her sudden death he returned to Paris, where he devoted himself to painting. He then moved to Massy-Palaiseau, just south of Paris, to work with his friend Robert Mantienne. 1947   Met the writer Pierre Descargues, who became one of his earliest and most ardent supporters, writing the catalogue preface for his first one-man show in 1947. 1999   Died in Tourtour

Selected Exhibitions

2007   Auktion 24, Lehr - Auktionshaus und Galerie, Berlin 2006   La force de l'art - Superdefense, Galeries naitonales du Grand Palais, Paris 2005   Tauchfahrten. Zeichnung als Reportage, Kunsthalle Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf 1996   Beaux-arts Mueseum, Kaoshiung 1995   The Odakyu Museum, Tokyo 1994   Documents Halle, Kassel 1993   Gustave Courbet Museum, Ornans 1991   Pouchkine Museum, Moscou 1991   Ermitage Museum, Saint-Petersbourg 1991   Hyundai Museum, Seoul 1987   The Odakyu Museum, Tokyo 1985   Refectoire des Jacobins, Toulouse 1983   Seedamm Cultural Center, Zurich 1978   The Postal Museum, Paris 1977   At the Gemeentmuseum, Wieger Deurne, Holland 1969   Unterlinden Museum, Colmar 1963   The Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo 1959   The French Institute, Berlin 1959   At Knokke le Zoute, Belgium 1958   Galerie Charpentier, Paris

Collections (Selection)

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