Endowed with a precious gift for art and painting, Larrieu describes himself as an abstract expressionist and surrealist, and his style as a descendent of Paul Klee and Joan Miró, whose visual vocabulary goes beyond the real world. Larrieu’s super imposed forms, magical architectures, blossoming trees and plants, open a pathway towards the known and unknown marvel in the surreal world won him international recognition with numerous exhibitions in museums around the world.
Born in Tarbes, France, in 1960, Jean-François Larrieu joined the François Villon Painting Academy when he was only eleven years old. At a very young age, Larrieu was awarded the Prix François Villon and in 1978, he was already awarded a painting prize from the Musee Bearnais. Larrieu settled in Paris in 1982, where his works shook up the artistic scene in the city. In 1990, he became the president of the prestigious Salon d’Automne, same position held in the past by great masters such as Rodin, Renoir, Maillol and Brayer… By than Larrieu has held over sixty solo exhibitions all over the world and later exhibiting in museums such as the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Peterbourg, the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, the fine Art Museum in Shanghai and the Nation Museum in Taiwan just to name a few.
This is Larrieu’s third showing in Hong Kong following raving success in previous shows and the artist personal affection to the pearl of Asia.
Inspired by cinema, photography, music and literature, Monet has a natural connection and sense for the current society and his contemporaries. His signature conceptual assemblage of text texture and color exudes eccentricity and empowerment of its time, exemplifying the characters and personalities of its icons.
Born in Montreal, in 1955, Monet studied graphic design at Laval University while exploring other mediums in fine art. He worked in fashion and advertisement before he dedicated himself to be a full time artist. Monet explored various mediums such as mosaic, collage and acrylics. More recently, he turned to the portrait. But not just any kind of portrait: blending collage of old newspapers and books, painting and varnishing, the traits of his characters are recreated with such precision that one might see a realistic photography arising from a distance. This new production reveals the strengths and weaknesses of individuals appearing on the canvases and particularly in this exhibition Monet will prevail captivating portraiture of iconic figures.
Recently Monet was appointed to do the portrait of the century, Prince William and Kate Middleton, in celebration of their coming love unification. With much success in recent years, Monet’s work has been exhibited in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec, and New York. This is his debut show in Hong Kong.
