Antoine de La Boulaye

ANTOINE DE LA BOULAYE

(born 1951)

 

Antoine de La Boulaye is today the most revered horse painter in France.

 

His career spans three decades, starting with his education at the Ecole Superieure d’Arts Graphiques of the Academie Julian in Paris. He quickly established himself as a talented horse painter, and started exhibiting regularly at the Cymaise Gallery in Paris. A prestigious list of venues opened their doors to him, from the Chantilly Grand Stables to the Museums of Nantes and Beziers, the French Institute in Seville, and many leading French galleries, including exhibitions at the FIAC (Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain) in Paris. His fame travelled abroad, and he has also had solo exhibitions in Switzerland, Belgium, the United States, and the United Kingdom. His official recognition, however, came in 1984, when he was commissioned by the President of France to paint two paintings offered as a gift to Her Majesty the Queen during the President’s visit to the United Kingdom.

 

A versatile painter, Antoine de La Boulaye’s style evolves constantly, in his search to translate distinctive atmospheres, from the world of horses to that of Spain and the Orient, which have fascinated from an early age. After representing hunting, racing and carriage scenes, all firmly rooted in the classical tradition which he masters so well, he moves towards different pictorial languages, for a time exploring contemporary abstract art and collages, where his sense of colour and classical equilibrium still manifest his obsession with the horse. He also tackles other techniques such as sculpture, in bronze.

 

His search has recently led him to create vivid and colourful images of “staged” scenes, representing elements of real or imaginary riders. These are achieved by following a painstaking process of first painting his subject in a highly finished way before deconstructing it, rubbing and obliterating it and superimposing it with other images. The result is a heightened sense of reality of the movement in motion, if not emotion when representing bullfights.

 

Antoine de La Boulaye's works are represented in both private and public collections, including Her Majesty the Queen, Banque Societe Generale, Fond Regional d’Art Contemporain of the Loire region, Fond National d’Art Contemporain (French Embassies in Mexico and in Madrid), Bibliotheque Nationale - Paris, and in the La Roche sur Yon Museum (Arthoteque), France.

 

Solo Exhibitions

 

2011 – Bernard Chauchet Contemporary Art - London

2009 – Galerie Yves Faurie - Sete

2006- Bernard Chauchet, ThirteenLangtonStreetGallery, London

2004 – Bernard Chauchet, London

2003 - Artemis Gallery, Paris

1999 - FIAC 1999 (Champagne Pommery)

1998 - Yves Faury  Gallery, Sete, France

1998 - CAC - Centre Culturel de la ville de Niort, France

1998 - Maison de l’Infante, St Jean de Luz, France

1998 - “Ananmorphies Inflences”, Murielle Durand Gallery, Paris

1998 - “The Pretty month of May”, University Paris X and Bordeaux

              Aline VIdal Gallery, Paris

1997 - “Les Instantanes”, Fond Regional d’Art Contemporain des Pays de la Loire

1997 - Nantes Fine Art Museum, France

1996 - La Cour Varenne, PAris

1996 - Jersey Museum

1995 - Schneider Group, Paris

1995 - Mercure Gallery, Beziers

1995 - Maison Billaud, Fontenay-Le-Comte

1995 - Simon Aldrige Gallery - London

1995 - French Institute of Seville, Spain

1994 - Tryptique exhibition: Bordeaux, BNP, Maison du vin de Bordeaux

1994 - Hong Kong, C.O. Simon Aldrige Gallery

1994 - Simon Aldrige Gallery - London

1993 - FIAC - Baudoin Lebon Gallery

1993 - Sintitulo Gallery, Nice

1993 - Image de Marque Gallery

1993 - Simon Aldrige Gallery - London

1993 - E. Peyre Gallery, Paris

1993 - Baudoin Lebon Gallery, Paris

1993 - Salon Decouverte, Grand Palais B. Lebon Gallery, Paris

1992 - La Cymaise Gallery, Paris

1991 - Schneider Group, Paris

1991 - Hotel du Departement, Conseil General de Vendee

1991 - Beziers Museum

1991 - Mercure Gallery, Beziers

1991 - Espace 87, Fontenay Le Comte

1990 - La Cymaise Gallery, Paris

1989 - Paul Valloton Gallery, Lausanne, Switzerland

1989 - La Cymaise Gallery, Paris

1987 - “Les Grandes Ecuries” (the Grand Stables) at Chantilly, France

1986 - Criswick Gallery, New York, USA

1985 - La Cymaise Gallery, Paris

1984 - Official commision from the President of France for two paintings offered to Her Majesty the Queen.

1984 - Richard Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland

1983 - Criswick Gallery, New York, USA

1982 - “Les Grandes Ecuries” (the Grand Stables) at Chantilly, France

1982 - Beaufreton Gallery, Nantes

1976 - 1982 - La Cymaise Gallery, Paris

 

 

Public Collections:

 

Banque Societe Generale

Fond Regional d’Art Contemporain of the Loire region

Fond National d’Art Contemporain

- French Embassy in Mexico

-French Embassy in Madrid

Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris

Arthoteque - La Roche sur Yon Museum

City of Niort

Commission of a painting on the theme of Don Quijote for the Ganivainc Collection (« 22  Artistes Français Illustrent Le Quichotte »)

Illustration of the « Annuaire de la Venerie francaise » 2005