André Brasilier Infinite Inspiration

PREFACE
Opera Gallery Singapore is pleased to present a solo exhibition showcasing
French artist André Brasilier’s works, both from earlier in his career and
recent paintings. Taking the viewer on a journey through the tranquil lyricism
of Brasilier’s world, we celebrate our longstanding collaboration with this
well-loved painter.
Exploring time, memory, and emotion through the prism of his own life, Brasilier
imbues in his subjects a contemplative beauty that is both earthly and ethereal.
The country house in Loupeigne and its forests, meadows and sandy beaches
have long been the source of Brasilier’s inspiration, his Arcadia.
Aspiring to ultimate simplicity, Brasilier retains only the essential elements of
his subjects while expressing their full emotional quality. The artist confesses
an unwavering fidelity to his most loved themes – spirited horses trotting
through pastoral landscapes, recitals and concerts, and portraits of his beloved
wife and muse, Chantal. Yet, as the artist revisits his favourite themes, he
continues to offer an astonishing variety in composition and richness in
painterly detail. Inspiration nourished by the past and the future, in that it is
infinite. With Brasilier, it takes in changing forms, that each time reveals a new
beauty. One never ceases of enjoying a painting by Brasilier – the generous
brushstrokes of vivid pinks, oranges, and indigos are layered upon with notes of
bright yellow and green.
Born in Saumur, France, in 1929, Brasilier grew up in a creatively-inclined family
with strong connections to the French artistic tradition. Yet, while acknowledging
his inspiration from painters such as Delacroix, Matisse and Rouault,
Brasilier pursued his own path from the start. Independent of the overtly
political aims of Modernist movements or the confining stylistic labels of
Symbolism, Romanticism, or Fauvism, Brasilier’s dedication to his craft is
singular. A master of subtle variation, his oeuvre is a life’s worth of reflection on
the age-old subjects of art.
By now a well-established figure both on the French and international art scene,
Brasilier had a retrospective at the Château de Chenonceau in 1980, followed
by a retrospective at the Musée Picasso-Château Grimaldi in Antibes in 1988.
Major retrospectives of the artist have since been held at the State Hermitage
Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 2005, and at the Museum Haus Ludwig
für Kunstausstellungen Saarlois in Germany in 2007.
Maturing over the course of more than 60 years, Brasilier’s body of work
continues to appeal to a wide base of collectors and art enthusiasts, consistently
maintaining a sense of peacefulness and tranquillity throughout. We are
honoured to share with you this inspiring collection of paintings.
Gilles Dyan
Chairman and Founder
Opera Gallery Group
Stéphane Le Pelletier
Director Asia Pacific
Opera Gallery Group
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