Bernard Buffet

Bernard Buffet was French Expressionist painter born in 1928 in Paris. Highly precocious, he was admitted at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1943 at the age of 15. He had his first solo show in Paris in 1947 and in 1948, at age 20, was awarded the Prix de la Critique. He took his own life after a prolonged battle with Parkinson's disease in 1999 in Tourtour, France at the age of 71.

 

Best known for his representational work, Buffet's paintings are often figurative, graphic, and central in their compositions. He developed over the years a distinctive style of elongated, spiky forms, somber colors, flattened spaces and an overall mood of loneliness and despair. His oeuvre revolved around ideas of art history, death, sexuality, popular culture, and politics while often directly referencing contemporary events and artists.

 

During his lifetime, he garnered widespread popularity and acclaim, including dozens of international exhibitions and honors such as being inducted into the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1974. Today, his work can be found in several public collections including the Centre Georges Pompidou, The National Museum of Modern Art in Paris, the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, the Tate Gallery, London and a museum in Japan is devoted to his oeuvre.

Bernard Buffet

SELECTED WORKS

Bernard Buffet, La Seine, 1960

Bernard Buffet La Seine1960

Oil on canvas

81 x 130 cm | 31.9 x 51.2 in

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Bernard Buffet, Toreador en clown, 1966

Bernard Buffet Toreador en clown1966

Oil on canvas

130 x 89 cm | 51.2 x 35 in

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Bernard Buffet, Femmes déshabillées, deux femmes, 1965

Bernard Buffet Femmes déshabillées, deux femmes1965

Oil on canvas

248 x 196,5 cm | 97.6 x 77.4 in

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Bernard Buffet, Torero main levée, 1987

Bernard Buffet Torero main levée1987

Oil on canvas

130 x 89 cm | 51.2 x 35 in

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Bernard Buffet, Saint-Petersbourg, Musée d'Anthropologie, 1992

Bernard Buffet Saint-Petersbourg, Musée d'Anthropologie1992

Oil on canvas

114 x 195 cm | 44.9 x 76.8 in

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Bernard Buffet, Clown au petit chapeau vert, 1989

Bernard Buffet Clown au petit chapeau vert1989

Oil on canvas

100 x 81 cm | 39.4 x 31.9 in

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Bernard Buffet, Chrysanthèmes et éventail, 1964

Bernard Buffet Chrysanthèmes et éventail1964

Oil on canvas

116,2 x 73,5 cm | 45.7 x 28.9 in

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Bernard Buffet, New-York, Grand Central Terminal,

Bernard Buffet New-York, Grand Central Terminal

Oil on canvas

231 x 130,5 cm | 90.9 x 51.4 in

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Bernard Buffet, Bigoudi, 1951

Bernard Buffet Bigoudi1951

Oil on canvas

196 x 120 cm | 77.2 x 47.2 in

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Bernard Buffet, Tête de clown, 1955

Bernard Buffet Tête de clown1955

Gouache, watercolour, brush, pen

50,2 x 32,4 cm | 19,8 x 12,8 in

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Bernard Buffet, Le Cirque, Clown au chapeau pointu, 1955

Bernard Buffet Le Cirque, Clown au chapeau pointu1955

Oil on canvas

150 x 100 cm | 59,1 x 39,4 in

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Bernard Buffet, Rue de Rennes et la Tour Montparnasse, 1989

Bernard Buffet Rue de Rennes et la Tour Montparnasse1989

Oil on canvas

114,3 x 146,3 cm | 45 x 57.6 in

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Bernard Buffet, La Place des Vosges, 1960

Bernard Buffet La Place des Vosges1960

Oil on canvas

81 x 130 cm | 31.9 x 51.2 in

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Bernard Buffet, La Baume, les iris, la maison, les genêts, 1997

Bernard Buffet La Baume, les iris, la maison, les genêts1997

Oil on canvas

130 x 81 cm | 51.2 x 31.9 in

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Bernard Buffet, Île de Port-Cros, 1953

Bernard Buffet Île de Port-Cros1953

Oil on canvas

65 x 81 cm | 25.6 x 31.9 in

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Bernard Buffet, Plage, 1956

Bernard Buffet Plage1956

Oil on canvas

97 x 195 cm | 38.2 x 76.8 in

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Bernard Buffet, Au Lapin Agile, 1988

Bernard Buffet Au Lapin Agile1988

Oil on canvas

114 x 146 cm | 44.9 x 57.5 in

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Bernard Buffet, Forêt de Mormale, lever du soleil en automne, 1974

Bernard Buffet Forêt de Mormale, lever du soleil en automne1974

Oil on canvas

89 x 130 cm | 35 x 51.2 in

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