b. 1945
Pierre Bernabeu left his beloved Provence, France in 1969, to travel the world. His life has been spent indulging his keen love of adventure – particularly sailing & scuba diving in New Caledonia where the underwater world left an impressionable mark on the artist.
“I love the underwater world – Cousteau said it is the world of silence and I call my art the art of silence”.
“It does not take much to make an artist happy. A stroke of yellow, a lot of lavender, a touch red. On his canvas, forms are born, the shadows appear and then the sublime reward of a radiant painting comes to light. It does not take much to make a man happy, he simply needs to be an artist. ”
— Pierre Bernabeu November 2002
Bernabeu returned to France temporarily to study film editing. That skill came in handy when he got the jobs of synchronising the Australian movies Gallipoli, Mad Max and The Man from Snowy River. Although he is now an Australian citizen, he is drawn back to Provence every second year.
“Wandering in the lavender and poppy fields has opened up my soul. The natural progression was to later express my emotions on the canvas”
“A painting is a passion, where the viewer can attain a deep spiritual mood somewhat like a prayer, to show the unique splendour of life and its beauty!”
Bernabeu’s paintings capture his love of texture, light and use of strong colours as shown in his Provence landscape interpretations. “I am not a painter, I am a colourist”. His works emit an aura rooted in the depth of the tones and the vigour of the line. His vibrant colours radiate joy and happiness. They have become very popular with the Australian art lovers. Bernabeu has travelled extensively in Southern France - to the heart of Provence - for subjective inspiration for his exhibitions and has gained considerable recognition for his vibrant exhibitions. It is because of this that Bernabeu is known as the Artist of Provence and French romanticism personified.
His work is now represented in national and international Galleries throughout Australia, USA, France, Spain, Italy, New Zealand, Japan, UK, Tahiti, New Caledonia and Germany.
