Pierre Boncompain (b. 1938)

Born in Valence, known as the gateway to Provence, Pierre Boncompain is recognized as a modern French master and heir to the colorist tradition. He began painting and drawing as a young child, encouraged by his parents who supported his pursuit of the arts.

Boncompain moved to Paris in the late 1950s, graduating first in his class at the French National Academy of Decorative Arts in 1959, before moving on to the National Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied in the Legueult atelier.

The charm of Provence flows through Boncompain’s paintings, pastels, and works on paper. His themes are simple: nudes, still-lifes, and landscapes; but through his continued experimentation with intense color, expressive line, and flat, patterned surfaces, he transcends the mundane to offer us a vision of life that is infinitely attractive.

Much like his countryman, the modernist master André Brasilier, Boncompain has exhibited prolifically throughout Asia, while also showing widely throughout Europe and North America over the past 50 years. His works are held in numerous important public and private collections, including the Centre Pompidou, Bibliothèque Nationale (Paris), Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, and Shanghai Art Museum.

Today, with his wife, model and muse Colette, he splits his time between studios in Paris and Provence, while continuing to exhibit with galleries and institutions around the world.

Source: The artist