Bernard Buffet was a French artist, and he had an innovative style where he brought modern aesthetics and graphic simplicity together with subdued color in the new postwar reality. He has a large following of collectors for this reason.
Life of Bernard Buffet
Born in Paris in 1928, Buffet lived through World War II, and many believe it gave his art a serious tone. He studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts, and he developed a significant network of art colleagues. He was able to create intense visual sensations for people struggling in the post-war world.
Style of Bernard Buffet
Buffet’s style was different from his contemporaries. He has been compared to Picasso, but he simplified form in his paintings. He combined simplicity with reality and representation. He used a lot of bold dark lines and muted colors. He hated anything abstract, which is clear in his works.
Legacy of Bernard Buffet
At the end of the 20th century, Buffet wasn’t terribly popular, which was likely because he hated abstract art. It also could have been caused by his decadent lifestyle. He earned a great deal of money, and he loved to spend it. Some found this in direct contrast with his somber paintings. Although sales of his paintings were lower during this time, he was established as an icon.
He earned the title, Officer of the Legion d’Honneur, which is one of the top honors for artists in France. Then, Kiichiro Okano established a museum in his honor outside of Tokyo, Japan. It holds more than 2,000 pieces of his works.
Buffet died in 1999, and he has grown in popularity. In 2006, the Musee d’Art Moderne in Paris celebrated his career, and just months before, his painting “Les Clowns Musiciens, Le Saxophoniste” sold for more than a million pounds. In addition, Nick Foulkes wrote a book about him, which is one of the most comprehensive on this artist.
Art of Bernard Buffet at Auction
Buffet has close to 8,000 finished works of art, and they fall into four categories: landscapes, portraits, the circus, and still lifes. The prices can vary widely. Collectors are dedicated to his style and his ability to stick to it in spite of the pressures of modernism.