Tommy Boureaux was born in the Paris suburbs in late 1984. He lives and works between Paris and Florence, creatively stimulated by the artistic treasures of both cities. He began his public art career in Italy in 2010 with an exhibition at the "Studio d’Arte 11" gallery in downtown Bologna. He went on to show his work in France and London, including a group show at the Lazinc gallery's "The Outsiders" space for emerging artists. After living two years in East London, Tommy moved to Florence in 2017. This marked a turning point, he began working with oil paints, allowing him to refine his artistic skills and develop a unique style. Following several exhibitions in Italy, Tommy exhibited outside Europe for the first time in 2019 with a collective show at "Allouche Gallery" in New York City.
He followed this with another presentation at "Georges Bergès Gallery" in 2020.
In recent years, Tommy has been teaching at an art school in Florence while developing his distinctive abstract style. He is now preparing new exhibitions to showcase this evolution.
"As a child, I dreamed of becoming an animator. I was fascinated by the images I studied frame by frame in Richard Williams’ book. There, drawing freed the characters’ bodies from their organic constraints and overcame the limits of reality.
I never managed to animate anything.
In the end, only painting allowed me to pursue this fascination.
On life-size canvases, I explore the excesses of the body as it moves through a confined space.
I present a new anatomy, animated by dynamic lines within a framework of saturated colors.
This bodily form, close to abstraction, emerges from the material. I scratch the surface and remove the superfluous to reveal the essential — the presence of the body, expressing itself without limits and on the verge of breaking, in a strange and intense tension. Struggling bodies reveal themselves in their fall. It is as if, in the very motion of descending, they regain their weight and density, escaping — through sliding and tension — from their organic constraints.
My paintings do not form a complete image, but provoke a raw, visceral sensation, inviting observation rather than judgment. In the face of digital avatars that flatten identity, I adopt a more abstract notion of the “self.” In doing so, I create a self that is also more human."
"Enfant, je rêvais d’être animateur, captivé par les lignes image par image du livre de Richard Williams, où le dessin libérait le corps des personnages de ses contraintes organiques pour faire sauter les verrous de la réalité. Je n’ai jamais su animer quoi que ce soit, et c’est finalement à travers la peinture que j’ai poursuivi cette fascination.
Sur des toiles taille humaine, j’explore les excès du corps déambulant dans un espace restreint.
J’expose une nouvelle anatomie, animée par des lignes dynamiques dans un cadre de couleurs saturées. Cette forme corporelle, proche de l’abstraction, émerge de la matière : je gratte la surface, j’en retire le superflu pour révéler l’essentiel — la présence du corps, celui qui s’exprime sans limites, proche de la rupture, dans une tension étrange et intense. Les corps en lutte se révèlent dans la chute, comme s’ils retrouvaient leur poids et leur densité dans le mouvement même de leur descente, en s’échappant — par glissement et tension — de leurs contraintes organiques.
Mes toiles ne composent pas une image mais provoquent un ressenti brut, invitant à constater plutôt qu’à juger. Face aux avatars numériques qui lissent l’identité, j’adopte un « moi » plus abstrait. Et donc plus humain."
Tommy Boureaux was born in the Paris suburbs in late 1984. He lives and works between Paris and Florence, creatively stimulated by the artistic treasures of both cities. He began his public art career in Italy in 2010 with an exhibition at the "Studio d’Arte 11" gallery in downtown Bologna. He went on to show his work in France and London, including a group show at the Lazinc gallery's "The Outsiders" space for emerging artists. After living two years in East London, Tommy moved to Florence in 2017. This marked a turning point, he began working with oil paints, allowing him to refine his artistic skills and develop a unique style. Following several exhibitions in Italy, Tommy exhibited outside Europe for the first time in 2019 with a collective show at "Allouche Gallery" in New York City.
He followed this with another presentation at "Georges Bergès Gallery" in 2020.
In recent years, Tommy has been teaching at an art school in Florence while developing his distinctive abstract style. He is now preparing new exhibitions to showcase this evolution.
"As a child, I dreamed of becoming an animator. I was fascinated by the images I studied frame by frame in Richard Williams’ book. There, drawing freed the characters’ bodies from their organic constraints and overcame the limits of reality.
I never managed to animate anything.
In the end, only painting allowed me to pursue this fascination.
On life-size canvases, I explore the excesses of the body as it moves through a confined space.
I present a new anatomy, animated by dynamic lines within a framework of saturated colors.
This bodily form, close to abstraction, emerges from the material. I scratch the surface and remove the superfluous to reveal the essential — the presence of the body, expressing itself without limits and on the verge of breaking, in a strange and intense tension. Struggling bodies reveal themselves in their fall. It is as if, in the very motion of descending, they regain their weight and density, escaping — through sliding and tension — from their organic constraints.
My paintings do not form a complete image, but provoke a raw, visceral sensation, inviting observation rather than judgment. In the face of digital avatars that flatten identity, I adopt a more abstract notion of the “self.” In doing so, I create a self that is also more human."
"Enfant, je rêvais d’être animateur, captivé par les lignes image par image du livre de Richard Williams, où le dessin libérait le corps des personnages de ses contraintes organiques pour faire sauter les verrous de la réalité. Je n’ai jamais su animer quoi que ce soit, et c’est finalement à travers la peinture que j’ai poursuivi cette fascination.
Sur des toiles taille humaine, j’explore les excès du corps déambulant dans un espace restreint.
J’expose une nouvelle anatomie, animée par des lignes dynamiques dans un cadre de couleurs saturées. Cette forme corporelle, proche de l’abstraction, émerge de la matière : je gratte la surface, j’en retire le superflu pour révéler l’essentiel — la présence du corps, celui qui s’exprime sans limites, proche de la rupture, dans une tension étrange et intense. Les corps en lutte se révèlent dans la chute, comme s’ils retrouvaient leur poids et leur densité dans le mouvement même de leur descente, en s’échappant — par glissement et tension — de leurs contraintes organiques.
Mes toiles ne composent pas une image mais provoquent un ressenti brut, invitant à constater plutôt qu’à juger. Face aux avatars numériques qui lissent l’identité, j’adopte un « moi » plus abstrait. Et donc plus humain."
Exhibitions
- Artist Residency at « Borgo San Pietro » (Chiusdino, Siena, Italy) - 2022
- Group show at « Georges Bergès Gallery » (New York, USA) – 2020/2021
- Group show at « Allouche Gallery » (New York, USA) – 2019
- Group show at « Paratissima » contemporary art fair (Turin, Italy) – 2018
- Solo show at « 79rosso » gallery (Florence, Italy) – 2017
- Group show at « Bottega d’Arte Merlino » gallery (Florence, Italy) – 2016
- Permanent exhibition at « L’Art en Partage » (Volx, France) – 2013/2015
- Solo show at « Les rencontres Scolopendra » (Montpellier, France) – 2012
- Group show at « Centre Culturel Art’M » (Paris, France) – 2011
- Group show at « The Outsiders » gallery (London, UK) – 2010
- Group show at « Studio d’Arte 11 » gallery (Bologna, Italy) – 2010
Exhibitions
- Artist Residency at « Borgo San Pietro » (Chiusdino, Siena, Italy) - 2022
- Group show at « Georges Bergès Gallery » (New York, USA) – 2020/2021
- Group show at « Allouche Gallery » (New York, USA) – 2019
- Group show at « Paratissima » contemporary art fair (Turin, Italy) – 2018
- Solo show at « 79rosso » gallery (Florence, Italy) – 2017
- Group show at « Bottega d’Arte Merlino » gallery (Florence, Italy) – 2016
- Permanent exhibition at « L’Art en Partage » (Volx, France) – 2013/2015
- Solo show at « Les rencontres Scolopendra » (Montpellier, France) – 2012
- Group show at « Centre Culturel Art’M » (Paris, France) – 2011
- Group show at « The Outsiders » gallery (London, UK) – 2010
- Group show at « Studio d’Arte 11 » gallery (Bologna, Italy) – 2010