Portrait of a farmer, 2024

Laurent Proneur  

Artist Statement:

Born in France in 1969 Laurent Proneur grew up surrounded by the colorful lifestyle of his family as they live and worked in circuses across Europe. From an early age freedom, whimsy and self-expression were instilled in him and first took form as he entertained as an acrobat, juggler and musician. Music and self-expression drove Laurent through significant success as both a producer and performance. Best known for being a part of the Street Art movement Laurent, then LONE, pioneered hip-hop in Europe alongside greats like MC Solar, Menelik and NTM. Inspired by this new poetry, dance and fashion, Laurent expressed himself by creating a lifestyle of radical freedom that focused on color, impact and pushing the boundaries of perception. In 1985 Laurent Proneur AKA LONEroc started painting in the streets with renowned artists including Futura 2000, Lokkiss, Jay, Mode 2 and Jonone 156. Laurent Proneur's talent and work were influential to the newly recognized graffiti movement. Laurent's work is recognized in the revered Street Art publication of the time “Paris Tonkar" with pages of its special edition book dedicated to him. After Laurent Proneur was secretly painting in underground subways, cosmopolitan streets and was gathering canvas across cityscapes, he decided to measure and test his talents out, in a legitimate manner. He was accepted at the arguably best art school in the world: Les Beaux Arts of Paris. Laurent finished first in his illustration class for the 3 years he attended. Laurent is currently painting in Los Angeles. He describes his work as a “neoteric experiment in fine art graffiti". Sometimes frenetic, but more often grounded in purposeful focus, Laurent's work vacillates between instigating deep self-reflection or insisting the simplicity of a beautiful moment. Laurent's work is pleasantly addictive and is to be appreciated by lovers of art and live-ers of life

Education:

Les beaux arts, Paris

Awards & Distinctions:

Les beaux de Paris
Royal 156 academy
Couleurs de l'alma, Paris

Exhibitions:

Gallery Montaigne, Los Angeles
Terrell Moore Gallery
Art Bazel
Maison de la culture Paris
Modern young exhibition, Le Louvre Paris

Artistic Influences:

PIcassao, Pollock, Jonone, Skki, Lokkiss

Tags:

paintings, abstract, modern, paris, streetart, expressionism