Inspector's report · 2026
His contribution to black and grey is technical and specific. Opaque grey and grey wash, combined in the same piece.
He is recognised as a pioneer of that combination, which gives his portraits a density and a softness that are usually mutually exclusive. The foundation is pure black, properly saturated, because if the blacks are right the piece heals well and stays contrasted.
Over that he builds abstract realism, portraits that dissolve at the edges into graphic marks, faces that carry a sense of melancholy, like a poem written on skin. He will never tattoo the same image twice. He works from Noire Ink, his studio in Clermont-Ferrand.
Inspector's note
The inspectors could not find a black and grey realist whose work carries more atmosphere per square centimetre. New to the Top 10 and overdue.
