ln 1951, his friend Jean Giono let him a small house in Manosque where he lived for a short while before renting an ancient « bergerie » in Nanse, near Reillanne, 17 kilometres from Manosque. He worked there until 1954.

 

In 1953, Louis Aragon wrote, in les Lettres Francaises, an article entitled Le Paysage Francais a quatre siecles et Bernard Buffet 24 ans (Four Centuries of French Landscape Painting and the 24 Years Old Bernard Buffet).

 

In 1955, he was awarded the first prize by the magazine Connaissance des arts, which named the 10 best post-war artists. He met Georges Simenon who became his close friend. He bought property in Domont, near Paris, that he left the following year to live at the « Chateau l'Arc » near Aix-en-Provence, which was to be his main residence until 1964.

 

In 1958, at the age of 30, the first retrospective of his work was held at Galerie Charpentier.

 

The same year Pierre Berge published Bernard Buffet at Editions Pierre Cailler, and Georges Hourdin published l'Enfer et le Ciel de Bernard Buffet at Cerf.

 

December 12,1958 Bernard Buffet married Annabel Schwob at Ramatuelle.

 

In 1961 he painted a series of paintings depicting the life of Jesus Christ, intended to decorate the Chapelle de Chateau l'Arc. Ten years later, at the request of Monseigneur Pasquale Macci (secretary to Pope Paul VI) he offered these paintings to the Vatican Museum where they remain on permanent exhibition.

 

His daughter Virginie was born in 1962, and his daughter Danielle in 1963.

 

In 1964 Maurice Druon published Bernard Buffet at Editions Hachette. Bernard Buffet bought « la Vallee » in Saint-Cast in Britanny where he worked until 1970.

 

From 1965 to 1971 he lived both in Britanny and Paris.

 

In May, 1971 he was named « Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur ». In May ,1971 his son Nicolas was born.

November 23, 1973 the Bernard Buffet Museum was inaugurated ; it was founded by Kiichiro Okano, in Surugadaira, Japan.

 

March 13, 1974 he was elected to the Académie des Beaux-Arts.

 

In 1978, at the request of the Postal Administration, he designed a stamp depicting l'Institut et le Pont des Arts .

 

In 1980 he got a Manor in Normandy, which he left in 1986 to live at the Domaine de la Baume, near Tourtour in the Haut-Var.

 

In 1986, Annabel published D'amour et d'eau fraiche at Sylvie Messinger, and Georges Durand, la Divine Comedie de Bernard Buffet at Desclee de Brouwer.

 

In 1986, « Bernard Buffet » by Yann le Pichon edited by Maurice Garnier, obtained the Elie Faure Award.

 

December 9, 1988 a large extension to the Bernard Buffet Museum was inaugurated in Japan.

 

In 1989, Alin Alexis Avila published « Bernard Buffet », edited by Nouvelles Editions Francaises aux Editions Casterman.

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Beginning in 1949 yearly exhibitions were held in February at the Galerie Drouant-David, and as of 1957 at the Galerie David and Garnier, and finally at Galerie Maurice Garnier.

The themes for these exhibitions were:

1952 - The Passion of Christ 1953 - Landscapes 1954 - Interiors 1955 - Horror of the war 1956 - The Circus 1957 - Paris Landscapes 1958 - Joan of Arc 1959 - New-York Landscapes 1960 - The Birds 1961 - Portraits of Annabel 1962 - The Chapelle de Chateau l'Arc 1963 - Venice Landscapes 1964 - The Bemard Buffet Museum 1965 - The Ecorches 1966 - Nudes 1967 - The Corrida 1968 - The Beaches 1969 - Churches of France 1970 - Castles of the Loire Valley 1971 - Fools 1972 - Daniele and Virginie 1973 - The Boats 1974 - Landscapes 1975 - Landscapes 1976 - Winter Landscapes 1977 - « Dante's Infemo. » 1978 - The French Revolution

1979 - The Flowers 1980 - Nudes 1981 - Japan 1982 - Self Portraits 1983 - Landscapes 1984 - Small Paintings 1985 - The Automobile 1986 - The Low Countries 1987 - Venice Landscapes 1988 - Sumo and Kabuki 1988 - Natures mortes 1989 - Don Quichotte 1990 - 20.000 Leagues Under the Sea 1990 - Britanny 1991 - Sees of New York 1991 - Remembers of Italy 1992 - Les clowns musiciens 1992 - Saint-Petersbourg 1993 - L'Empire or the pleasurs of the war 1993 - Promenade Provencale 1994 - L'Odyssee 1995 - Les sept peches capitaux 1996 - Pekin 1997 - Regates 1998 - The house 1999 - Mes singes 2000 - The death

Bernard Buffet has had many solo exhibitions world-wide, including New York, Chicago, Palm Beach, Montréal, Vancouver, Tokyo, Osaka, Johannesburg, Londres, Amsterdam, Bruxelles, Berlin, Varsovie, Bâle, Zurich, Genève, Rome, Venise, Milan, Madrid.



The major retrospective exhibitions of his work include :

In 1958 : Galerie Charpentier, Paris In 1959 : The French Institute, in Berlin In 1959 : At Knokke le Zoute, in Belgium In 1963 : The Museum of Modem Art, in Tokyo In 1969 : Unterlinden Museum in Colmar In 1977 : At the Gemeentmuseum, Wieger Deurne, Holland In 1978 : The Postal Museum, Paris In 1983 : Seedamm Cultural Center, Zurich In 1985 : Refectoire des Jacobins, Toulouse In 1987 : The Odakyu Museum, Tokyo In 1991 : Pouchkine Museum, Moscou In 1991 : Ermitage Museum, Saint-Petersbourg In 1991 : Hyundai Museum, Seoul In 1993 : Gustave Courbet Museum, Ornans In 1994 : Documenta Halle, Kassel In 1995 : The Odakyu Museum, Tokyo In 1996 : Beaux-arts Museum, Kaoshiung

Bernard Buffet illustrated the following works :

Les Chants de Maldoror, by Lautreamont, 1952 Recherche de la Purete, by Jean Giono, 1953 La Passion du Christ, 1954 La voix Humaine, by Jean Cocteau, 1957 Les Voyages Fantastiques, by Cyrano de Bergerac, 1958 Saint-Cast, poem by Baudelaire, 1962 Toxique, by Francoise Sagan, 1964 L'Herbier, by Louise de Vilmorin, 1966 Mon Cirque, 1968 Jeux de Dames, poems by Verlaine, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, 1970 L'Enfer, by Dante, 1976 La Revolution Francaise, 1977 Saint-Tropez, by Annabel, 1979 Le Voyage au Japon, by Annabel, 1981

Buffet has created the decor for the following :

Concours des Jeunes Compagnies, in 1948 La Chambre, by Georges Simenon, for the Ballets de Roland Petit in 1955 Le Rendez-vous manque, by Francoise Sagan in 1958 Patron, by Marcel Ayme in 1959 Carmen by Bizet for l'Opera de Marseille in 1962 Le Grand Cirque, by Katchaturian, for Serge Lifar. Opera de Paris Ischtar by Vincent d'lndy, for Serge Lifar La Valse, de Maurice Ravel pour l'Opera-Comique, 1970