Bernard Buffet

Bernard Buffet (born July 10, 1928, Paris) was a renowned French expressionist artist, known for his miserabilist style, which depicted emotional suffering, alienation, and psychological distress. Accepted into the École des Beaux-Arts at 15, Buffet won the Prix de la Critique at 20 and was introduced to collectors through Aujame, marking the start of his commercial success. His distinctive works, featuring angular forms and a muted palette of grey, black, and green, evoke feelings of anguish and emotional turmoil, contrasting sharply with the rise of abstract art in mid-20th-century Europe.

Over his prolific career, Buffet created more than 8,000 works including paintings, watercolors, drawings, lithographs, and prints. Despite criticism from the art elite for his traditional style and massive output, Buffet's commercial success mirrored that of Renoir and Picasso. His works are housed in major collections worldwide, with the Bernard Buffet Museum in Surugadaira, Japan showcasing nearly 1,000 of his paintings. Known for his expressionist realism, Buffet's figures—characterized by contracted hands, wrinkled foreheads, and angular faces—remain iconic for their emotional depth.

Buffet's work was exhibited globally, including major solo exhibitions at galleries and museums in Paris, New York, and Tokyo. His paintings were often part of the Salon d'Automne and showcased in prestigious venues like the Galerie Drouant-David and the Galerie Maurice Garnier. These exhibitions brought his distinctive style to a broader audience, cementing his place in the history of modern French art. His exhibitions attracted both public admiration and elite critique, positioning him as a figure of intense debate in the art world.

Despite ongoing criticism for being too commercial, Buffet's art endures, continuing to influence expressionist painters today. His legacy lives on, celebrated in museums and collections around the world. After struggling with Parkinson's disease, Buffet tragically ended his life on October 4, 1999, at the age of 71. His works remain a cornerstone of 20th-century art history.

In 2024, the Alexis Pentcheff Gallery in Marseille hosted "Bernard Buffet, autrement," an exhibition curated by Nicolas Buffet, offering a fresh and intimate look at the artist's lesser-known works. Featuring around twenty pieces, the show revealed new facets of Buffet's artistic legacy. Meanwhile, the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris continues to highlight his influence, preserving a significant collection of his works. These recent exhibitions reflect a renewed interest in Bernard Buffet, solidifying his place as a key figure in modern art.