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Born in Paris in 1928, Buffet was to become a precocious painter and printmaker. He developed a distinctive style and won considerable critical acclaim by the age of 20.
His work is instantly recognisable, characterised by elongated, spiky forms with dark outlines, sombre colours, and an overall mood of loneliness and despair. It seemed to express the existential alienation and spiritual solitude of the post-war generation, and Buffet enjoyed enormous success in the 1950s.
In 1955, he was awarded the first prize by the magazine Connaissance des Arts, which named the 10 best post-war artists. He met Georges Simenon who became his close friend.
In 1958, at the age of 30, the first retrospective of his work was held at Galerie Charpentier.
He held numerous exhibitions worldwide and his work was acquired by many public and private galleries and institutions.
In May, 1971 he was awarded Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur and in 1973 the Bernard Buffet Museum was opened in Surugadaira, Japan.
In 1974 he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts and in 1978, at the request of the Postal Administration, he designed a stamp depicting l'Institut et le Pont des Arts.
Buffet died on October 4, 1999 in Tourtour, France. |
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