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BIO
Based in Brossard, Canada, François Desnoyers (1961–) holds a degree in French Studies from the University of Montreal and a degree in Visual Arts from Concordia University in Montreal. He is a contemporary artist whose practice encompasses painting, drawing, and digital art. Best known for enigmatic and ambiguous scenes, his style of figuration is consistently marked by mystery, uncertainty, and apprehension, revealing a world of isolation alternating from self-exploration to the depiction of ominous landscapes. Desnoyers’ technique combines acrylic, ink, charcoal, and oil paint. In his first major series, Mémoires (2000 – 2003), focusing on the vulnerability of the human body as it relates to memory and loss, the artist also used wood stain, pastel, wax, and found objects that he nailed, glued, or stapled onto large sheets of plywood, taking advantage of their warm, veined surfaces scarred with knots to express the vulnerability of the human body. During the following decades, he created many series in response to the climate crisis by including the landscape genre in his practice. Through a non-conventional approach to surface and medium, replacing canvas with old rags, used bed sheets and other reclaimed industrial fabrics, and by exploring the potential of diverse medium such as construction material and food remnants, the artist underscores our dependency to the artificial while revealing our own vulnerability. Desnoyers has gained recognition both in Canada and internationally, presenting his work in numerous solo and group exhibitions. He participated in the 21st Painting and Sculpture Exhibition at the Chapelle Saint-Benoît in Argenton-sur-Creuse, France. His works were also featured in several group exhibitions in Spain, including New Art Barcelona and the 25th Painting and Sculpture Exhibition at the Municipal Museum of Ourense. In Canada, he also took part in the Montreal Festival of Japanese and Canadian Contemporary Art. His international presence extends to art fairs in the United States, including New Art Miami and the Affordable Art Fair in New York. His works are included in various private, corporate, and public collections, including the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal. |
CV
1961, birth in St-Hyacinthe, Canada Education
1986-1989: BFA in Studio art, Concordia university, Montreal, Canada Selected Solo Exhibitions
2026 "Le monde en pièces détachées", Maison de la culture Villebon, Beloeil, Canada Selected Group Exhibitions and Art Fairs
2024 "ArtExpo Paris 2024", galerie Agnes Nord, Paris, France Public and private Collections
The Museum of Contemporary art of Montreal, Canada Selected events and commissions
2005 "Desnoyers on the Roof", painting performance at Gora gallery, Montreal, Canada. |