b.1929 in Saumur, France

André Brasilier is a French painter and printmaker whose work is typified by a blend of expressionism and abstraction. André Brasilier’s lyrical, dreamlike paintings explore an intimate communion with nature. The artist’s wife and muse, Chantal, is a favourite subject, often portrayed delicately arranging flowers or beautifully poised on benches surrounded by nature . Horses are also a recurring theme in the artist’s work, described by Brasilier as “a superb creation…charged with symbolism, strength, dynamism and beauty”. The majesty of these wonderful creatures feature prominently throughout Brasilier’s career, their elegant forms cantering through serene seascapes, chilly winter woods and brilliant sunsets.

Surrounded by the idyllic French countryside, Brasilier’s artistic talents and appreciation for nature blossomed early on. Brasilier states that ‘painting must be alive’. The artist has spent his career trying to ‘capture emotions and share them,’ striving to create works that survive him. ‘Every masterpiece that has moved humanity throughout history was a testimony of life,’ he explains. Painting, he adds dramatically, is ‘a fight for life against death.’

Nature is a recurrent focus of his paintings, which frequently depict pastoral scenes, or the changing seasons. The focus, the artist explains, is instinctive: ‘I live in the countryside; I was practically born in the countryside.’ For Brasilier, ‘every window becomes a painting; I see trees as if they are drawings, their branches organised.’ Inspired by the work of the Fauves and Gauguin, who he describes as his père spirituel, Brasilier casts these landscapes in bright colour, working in a palette of vivid blue, pink, orange and yellow.

There has been a remarkable rise of André Brasilier works in the last 6 years and it shows no sign of slowing down. His work has risen in value of 557%, which is mirrored by the number of his pieces sold at auction.