Bernard Buffet Retrospective at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is inviting you to discover or rediscover the monumental work of the painter Bernard Buffet. Through a selection of over 100 paintings and numerous archive documents, this retrospective re-examines the memorable moments in the career of this artist, who knew fame and fortune when very young. Designed chronologically, the exhibition focuses on three parts. The first traces the birth of Buffet’s unusual style and his critical success. Then comes the story of the painter’s lifestyle as he gathered the outward trappings of wealth. From 1950, his themed annual exhibitions set the tempo of Paris’s artistic calendar. Even if the critics began to turn against the painter, the general public applauded him and hurried to the Galerie David et Garnier to admire his eclectic canvases. His fame crossed the borders of France and soon the name of Buffet was drawing crowds in New York and Japan as well. Despite the painter’s weariness from the attacks of the critics, his output continued unrestrained. However, in 1997, illness was to thwart his irrepressible desire to paint. Two years later, Buffet prepared his last exhibition, which he entitled Death.