Since 1988, he has been working with the famous Da Prato foundry in Pietrasanta, Tuscany. This renowned place of craftsmanship allowed Jacques Basler to produce his bronzes by using the wax casting technique. The reputation of this foundry, which initially specialized in religious art, is well established. Since 1963, it has collaborated with renowned artists such as G. Pomodoro, Penalba, Yasuda, and Botero. It was then that Jacques Basler’s reputation was strengthened, making him an important figure among Swiss sculptors. Moreover, his approach to art is humble and pragmatic, particularly when he states:

“I think that they[artists] are to society what germs and bacteria are to life: essential. We think they are useless, everyone fights against them, but without them, life would not be possible. As for art, I’ve been thinking about it for almost forty years… For me, it’s something subjective that comes out of my gut and reaches this status once it’s sold. Especially since I consider every sculpture sold as a miracle.”

Jacques Basler

His works then began to leave his studio and gallery to enhance streets and squares. Public spaces displayed his sculptures and companies started working with him. This is how his works can be found in places such as Place Chauderon in Lausanne, or in the garden of the Château de Rive in Lutry. His sculptures also occupy Credit Suisse’s buildings in Geneva and CFPS in Courtepin.

If the artist is recognized in Switzerland, his art also crosses borders. The Area Museale Ca’ la Ghironda in Ponte Ronca, Italy, decided to showcase his sculptures. This institution is a famous museum of modern art located only a few minutes from the city of Bologna. That his works of art are welcomed in such an institution is a testament to his undeniable talent and a form of recognition, making him the most gifted Swiss sculptor of his generation.

« My characters are a mix of Latin American folk art and Italian Renaissance painters ».

Fernando Botero

After an exhibition that did not meet his audience upon his return to Bogotá, he moved to Mexico City. It was in this city that he found his style with the piece « Still life with the mandolin».

« One day after working hard, I took a random pencil and drew a mandolin with very large shapes, as I always did. But when I drew the hole in the middle of the instrument, I made it much smaller and suddenly the mandolin took on proportions of extraordinary scale. »

Fernando Botero

This is when Botero’s style was born—one that can be recognized at first glance. The concept of volume lives in him and he wants to rebuild with a dimension that he considers forgotten, especially in contemporary painting. Working on this new dimension gives a soft and voluptuous quality to his characters. At the age of 41, he turned to sculpture and created monumental works of exceptional dimensions.

“The street inspires me. I come from street art. JR is my tag name. I love people and feed off their emotions.”

JR

Afterwards, he started making his first collages in very large formats. His exhibition quickly attracted attention, and the Paris City Hall decided to display some of his photos on its own buildings. His approach was innovative because he decided to take art out of museums. Remaining true to the aspirations of street art, he brings art into the street to reach as many people as possible, especially disadvantaged populations who don’t have the opportunity to enter a museum. His art gained international recognition in 2007 when he decided to create a large illegal exhibition featuring huge portraits of Israelis and Palestinians on both sides of the border. In 2008, he repeated the experience with portraits of the people living in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. This same process then took him to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, India and Cambodia.

In 2014, he glued the image of a woman’s eyes to a container ship in the French city of Le Havre. His work with this piercing woman’s eyes traveled around the world and made it all the way to Malaysia. That same year, he carried out a new project called “The Wrinkles of the City”, in which he chose wrinkled residents to display their pictures in their own city. To do this, he traveled to Cartagena, Shanghai, Havana, Los Angeles, Berlin and Istanbul. The last couple of years, he continued to work on his giant collages in unusual places such as the Pantheon or on the pyramid of the Louvre in Paris. The artist also focuses on film and creates documentaries in order to keep a record of his artistic approach and achievements.

“My works are like an adventure. They are a place, they are a window that allows you to enter the jungle.”

Cesar Bertel, in destinosverdes.com

His work belongs to a broader South American artistic tradition, which includes references to García Márquez, Simón Bolívar, José Eustasio Rivera, Neruda, Chico Méndez, Bertha Cáceres, and Juan Ceballo.

The renowned watercolorist first made a name for himself in Colombia. He has shown his work in various cities throughout the country, including Bogotá, Cartagena, Barranquilla, Bucaramanga and Santa Marta.
His creations then crossed the borders of Colombia to be presented in Ecuador and Venezuela. From 2010, his paintings were sent across the Atlantic Ocean to the old continent. They were then brought to Paris but were also exhibited in Namur, Belgium, Munich, Germany, Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. The painter also traveled to a number of cities in the United States, including Miami and Washington DC, before moving to Asia. His watercolors are shown at international exhibitions and festivals in Shanghai, Beijing, China, and Singapore.

Lastly, Cesar Bertel has won prestigious awards. He was selected to represent Colombia at the biennial and triennial watercolorist competitions in Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, and Mexico. He is also the United Nations Delegate to Colombia for all matters related to sustainable development.

1962: Algeria is independent. He is 10 years old and arrives in France in the region of Perpignan where he finds part of his family.

Very early on he developed a passion for drawing (exclusively sports cars) and it was natural that in 1969 he turned to secondary studies as an industrial designer. Then he attended the drawing classes at the École des Beaux-Arts in Perpignan and opted for interior design.

In 1980 his daughter Isabelle was born. Two years later, while playing with her, almost accidentally, he discovered abstract painting.

“I came to painting really by chance: looking after my daughter one Sunday when she was a baby. I saw her painting and it made me want to do it so much! So I painted with her. And there I discovered myself. I discovered that I had the ability to paint things that I liked and that were … wonderful for me! And that’s it: since then, I’ve been painting. I paint now like I breathe.

André Nadal

In 1983: Following a series of trips, notably to the United States, he decided to abandon industrial design in order to devote himself to painting.

His style is characterised by extremely precise geometric forms, repeated motifs, intertwining lines and perfect symmetries. He is particularly fond of monochrome, as evidenced by his numerous black and white works.

“I think my work has a hypnotic quality. It captivates both the eye and the brain of the viewer, while remaining very simple in appearance. I can see this in the people who appreciate my work: they are often perfectionists, with homes that have a certain sense of order. My work is most effective in uncluttered interiors.

André Nadal, in artistes-occitanie.com

Since 2007, he divides his time between his studio in the south of France and his studio in Paris.