Xavier Degans

Xavier Degans is a French painter, watercolorist, sculptor, mosaic artist and lithographer. He was born in 1949 in Dunkerque. At a very early age, he developed a passion for drawing and painting, he discovered this during a long stay at the hospital. He joined Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris at the age of 16, despite his young age. During his first year of studies, he managed to meet Salvador Dali, and admired him unconditionally, he showed his paintings to Dali. The latter was convinced about the French artist's talent and invited him to stay in Spain for a while and work with him. Xavier Degans lives and works in Malo Les Bains today.

Throughout his career, Xavier Degans addressed several themes, these include loneliness, anxiety, death, time passing by, ludicrous issues of life, nostalgia, but he paints these with humor and glee. His paintings emanate happiness and fulfillment.

His paintings have evolved a lot during the years. Degans didn't want to restrain himself to a commercial style, and achieve public support. Curious and always on the look out for new sensations, the artist not only improves but diversifies his techniques. Landscapes occupy an important place for him, and surely needs to call upon his extreme sensitivity. Degans is obsessed by light, in fact he paints the micro-droplets in order to portray light in his landscapes.

Xavier Degans is famous all around the world, due to his various public and private collections. The artist doesn't like awards, he refused the Ordre National du Mérite “Legion of Honor". According to him "he never really ran any true risks except getting the bristles of the brush in his eye".