Bernard BUFFET ( 1928 - 1999 ) - Peintre Francais

I would never thank enough Mr Maurice GARNIER and Mr Philippe E. DAVID, for their support and help in allowing me to fulfil this virtual Museum in memory of Bernard Buffet.

The project was born in my imagination the day of the artist's death, October 4, 1999, following many contacts around the world and the total lack of a serious source of information about Bernard Buffet on Internet.

I was missig two important things to realise this task : Mr Maurice GARNIER's authorisation to whom belong all the copyrights and the sufficient documentation.

The first contact was made in October 99 by Email between myself and Mr Philippe E. DAVID : "Mr Maurice GARNIER is not insensitive to your demand ", then by mail and phone: " you convinced us ... "

The appointment was arranged on the 9th of November 99, four PM, at the Maurice GARNIER Gallery, 6Th Avenue Matignon in Paris.

I went to the appointment without any preparation nor any intention to cheat and fake. I went there with only my sincerity, my integrity and my heart, as sole companions.

The Gallery remains the same as it was on the opening day in 1956. All these Masterpieces from 1996, 1997, 1998 are there, like trying to compete each other to grab the visitor's attention, to charm him.

Mr Maurice GARNIER received me with Mr Philippe E. DAVID very kindly with no manner, in a little lounge adjacent to the gallery.

Very quickly we agreed on the philosophy of the Web Site. A very simple layout and no comments attached to the Masterpieces presented to avoid to disturb the vision and the imagination of the visitor. Everything must be done to drive the attention of the visitor to the paintings and tease his mind. The Site will be donated to the Foundation that is going to be created from the initiative of Mr Maurice GARNIER with an important donation of paintings. They will be exposed in the future Bernard BUFFET Museum in France.

But obviously, what Mr Garnier prefers above all is to talk about Bernard Buffet's Paintings. His voice turns suddenly soft, calm, immensely rich in emotion and true respect. More than the merchant, Maurice Garnier is before all the first artist's admirer.

" Bernard Buffet is a workaholic, he only thinks about painting "
" No message has to be looked for in the painting of Bernard Buffet "
" Bernard Buffet's work constitute the human representation of the existential drama "

Maurice GARNIER evokes some paintings :

The Christ on its Cross (1946) : "A true Miracle! This painting has been found by an amateur under Bernard Buffet's bed in his artstudio. He took and restored it. There is total similarities with the Christ painted by Grünewald in 1516 "on the Issenheim altarpiece" from the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar. This painting was one of the highest bid in the 90's. It will be donated to the Colmar Museum.

The Women with a Chicken (1947) : "Picasso passing in front of my gallery on "rue de Seine" stopped three minutes in front of this painting. Three minutes is a long time to contemplate a painting. It is in portraits that we should find the power of Bernard Buffet's paintings".

Two naked Men (1947) : "... One sex, two Sexes, three Sexes..."

It is five O'clock, time is going quickly, too quickly, too much quickly, I must go.

It's a shame, I was well, Mr Maurice GARNIER has made much more than giving me access to his files, he opened his heart to me.

Mr Maurice Garnier and Philippe E. David, I wish to sincerely acknwoledge you from the deep of my heart, you offered me the greatest trip that I could do since many years: a total immersion in the heart of Bernard Buffet's work.