The thick and expressive paintings of Eugène Leroy

Among the great French painters who left their mark on the 1980s and 1990s with their unique brushstrokes, Eugène Leroy is an artist in his own right! His style brings to light masterpieces of abstract art that have left their mark on the history of painting. Here is how his career began and how he became famous.

The life of Eugène Leroy

Born on 8 August 1910 and deceased on 10 May 2000, Eugène Leroy began drawing and developing a talent for painting at the age of fifteen, after receiving a box of paints from his father. His life has been strongly influenced by numerous artists, among these were expressionist painters, especially Rembrandt, who was a great inspiration to him. It was during the last years of his life that his work was thoroughly recognised. Married with children, he spent the first years of his professional career between teaching and painting. Over time, he held numerous exhibitions of his work in many cities in France, including Lille and Paris, and one of the awards he won was the Emile-Othon Friesz Prize (1957).

The emergence of Eugène Leroy's works

Eugène Leroy is a French artist whose paintings are mainly figurative. During his youth and throughout his career, he perfected his techniques by studying classical art. His favourite themes are nudes, landscapes and portraits which are all particularly well represented in his works. His method of creation is considered unique in the pictorial world as he paints using traditional painting tools while the final result is always unique, since the application of many layers of paint on the canvas emphasizes the intensity and chromatic richness of his works. While his forms are impossible to distinguish up close, viewing his works forces the viewer to stand back in order to understand the artist's work as a whole. This is what makes these paintings expressive.

Eugène Leroy was a rising star!

It was not until the early 1980s that Leroy became famous. His works were then recognised not only in France, but also on the international scene, as true representations of the neo-expressionist movement. In 1988, the Musée d'Art Moderne in Paris organised a retrospective of his works which was a great success. In 1992, the whole world heard about him at "documenta 9" in Kassel, Germany. All of Eugène Leroy's paintings are now highly prized and sought after on the art market. Their value at auction is indeed very high.

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