About the Artist

Jean-Marc Bustamante is a renowned photographer and painter, especially in Europe. His work presents a perfect synthesis of past experiences and artistic visual language. His recent Plexiglas paintings explore concepts of light and color to depict visual landscapes with a strong appeal and poetical impact. Bustamante was born in Toulouse, France in 1952. He worked with photographer William Klein in the 1970s. His series of photos on different parts of Barcelona, called Tableaux, revolutionized the perception of photography as a medium of artistic expression in France. The Tableaux is recognized as a creative combination of photography and painting. From 1983 to 1987, he collaborated with French sculptor Bernard Bazile, producing artistic works under the name of Bazile Bustamante. The collaboration gave rise to an artistic style based on codes and signs. The two artists, however, split up in 1987.

 

In 2008, Jean-Marc Bustamante was awarded the medal of the Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur, and in 2003 he represented France in the 50th Venice Biennale. His work was included in Documenta VIII in 1987, Documenta IX in 1992, and Documenta X in 1997.

Recent exhibitions include New Paintings, Galerie Bärbel Grässlin, Frankfurt (2014); Jean- Marc Bustamante/Pieter Saenredam, Villa Medici, Rome (2012); Dead Calm, The Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, travelling to the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds (2011); Jean-Marc Bustamante: Lava II, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 2008; and L’horizon chimérique (with Ed Ruscha), Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg, 2007.

 

Today, Jean-Marc Bustamante lives and works in Paris.