The images and information presented below are for the instruction of students and scholarly research.
Bernard Buffet
(1928-1999)
Self-Portrait, 1981
Think that you may own a painting by Bernard Buffet? We authenticate, appraise, research and issue certificates of authenticity (COA) and provide consultations for all paintings by Bernard Buffet.
Le Petit Duc, 1969
Bernard Buffet was a French painter and graphic artist who created striking and fun modern images in an Expressionist style that was all his own. He created very stylized and fresh portraits that were both realistic and edgy with a unique flavor and tone.
Femmes des habillees, Trois Femmes, 1965
La Prise des Tuileries, 1977
Don Quixote, Les Duegnes, 1988
Many of these were somewhat dark self-portraits, always signed with his prominent script signature “Bernard Buffet.”
Self-Portrait, 1977
Self-Portrait with Skull, 1981
Self-Portrait at his Canvas, 1981
Buffet created a world that was dark and gritty, in an unmistakable hand and style that was exclusive to him alone. He created many Parisian scenes with this same style and from his own unique point-of-view.
La Tour Eiffel, 1988
Notre Dame de Paris, 1988
Fontaine de la Place de la Concorde, 1988
Vue Panoramique de la Place de La Concorde, 1988
La Gare d’Orsay, 1989
La Lapin Agile et le Sacre-Coeur, 1989
Buffet worked in many mediums, and executed his style and signature look equally with watercolor, pastels, chalk and lithography. Paris, still life, owls, harlequins, portraits and city scenes were among his favorites to create, and each were executed with a strange but beautiful combination of gritty playfulness.
Clown, watercolor
La Baslique Saint-Marc, Venice, 1986, watercolor
Still Life, watercolor
The Little Bird, lithograph, 1964
Girl in a Pink Hat, lithograph, 1960
The Three Windmills, lithograph, 1986
Buffet was born in Paris, and began his first studies at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, and studied there for two years. He worked alone after this time, and showed his first work, a self-portrait, in 1946 at the Salon des Moins de Trente Ans at the Galerie Beaux-Arts at the age of 18. His earliest works were devoid of much color, and were created using mostly black, white, and grey, and his subjects were almost Cubist in nature.
Inondation, 1946
The Two Men, Nude, 1947
Still Life with Fish, 1950
In 1948, his painting “Le Buveur” was exhibited at the Young Painters Exhibition at the Galerie Drouant-David and was purchased by a doctor, who later donated it to the Paris Museum of Modern Art after his death.
Le Buveur, 1948
After the successful sale of this painting, Buffet was asked to join with the gallery of Emmanuel David exclusively, and he shared a contract with Maurice Garnier. Buffet would continue to have a successful art career in Paris, and moved to a small home in Nanse from 1951-1954. The following year, he moved to Chateau l’Arc near Aix-en-Provence where he lived until 1964. During this time, Buffet kept his same boxy and gritty style, but began to employ more color into his ever-evolving pieces.
Le Cirque: Deux Clowns, 1955
Jeanne d’Arc, Les Voix, 1957
Annabel au Festival de Cannes, 1960
In 1958, Buffet held his first retrospective at the Galerie Charpentier, and also married Annabel Schwob that same year. Annabel would become one of his most frequent models. He would have two daughters, Virginie and Daniel, with Annabel, and they would become sitters for him as well.
Annabel, 1960
Virginie, 1971
Daniel, 1971
In 1961, Buffet created a series of paintings on the life of Jesus Christ which was intended to decorate the Chapelle de Chateau l’Arc. He later offered these paintings to the Vatican Museum, where they remain in their permanent exhibition today.
La Passion du Christ: Cruxifixion, 1951
Throughout the rest of his life, he lived in Brittany, Paris and Normandy and published his works numerous times. Buffet held a number of exhibitions in his lifetime, all with themes such as nudes, the circus, self-portraits, Japan, landscapes, churches of France and more. He worked right up until his death in 1999, and his works are housed all over the world, including at the Bernard Buffet Museum in Japan.
Kabuki, Ren Jishi, 1987
Le Dome de Milan, 1991
The Odyssey, The Sirens, 1993
Squelettes Travestis, 1998
Buffet remains one of the most compelling French graphic artists of his era, and his compositions are still highly-regarded and sought after today. He was a very prolific artist, and created a number of pieces in different styles and subjects, making it very possible for virtually anyone to own his work. Still wondering about a late 20th century Expressionist painting hanging in your home? Contact us…it could be by Bernard Buffet.
