Born in 1977

"I try to show through my canvases that what is considered by many to be visual pollution can actually be of real aesthetic interest."

Nicolas Clézio is one of those virtuosos of technique. It's so perfect that it's sometimes disconcerting. Some artists, such as Dali, used it to plunge us into a surrealist fantasy world. Clézio, on the other hand, has decided to use it in the service of something very real: tag vandalism, graffiti and hip-hop culture. He brings to light and reveals the beauty of what people found ugly in the 60s. His canvases are true confrontations: artful depictions of dilapidated, graffitied street scenes. He succeeds in bringing together two diametrically opposed worlds: classical painting and graffiti.

Completely self-taught, Nicolas Clézio took up painting late in life. Initiated by his father as a child, he admired his father's work, but was initially keen to find a "real job". His passion caught up with him in 2012. For four years, he painted only for himself, working hard to advance his technique. In 2016, he exhibited for the first time. He is now 39 years old.

Aestheticism at its best requires patience. Clézio takes several months to paint a canvas. He produces around ten a year. The wait is proportional to his perfectionism, and so is the pleasure!