Florian Eymann

florian eymann

Taking inspiration from Caravaggio's dramatic light, Bacon's distorted figures, and Picasso's freedom of form, Eymann engages in a series of constructions and destructions to reveal modern complexities.

bio

Florian Eymann (b. 1980, Auxerre, France) is a self-taught artist best known for his oil paintings in which he explores dark themes. In dismantling and reinterpreting faces and expressions of the traditional portraiture, Eymann leans into experiments with form and relation. Largely inspired by art history, Eymann incorporates techniques reminiscent of Caravaggio and Francis Bacon. He draws on art history for subject matter as well; many of his works are reinterpretations of iconic paintings, from masterpieces like The Last Supper and The Mona Lisa to Pop Art classics like Andy Warhol’s depiction of Marylin Monroe.

In 2018, Eymann’s works were shown with Avant Gallery at the Art New York art fair and at SCOPE during Art Basel in Switzerland. The following year, Eymann’s work was shown with Avant Gallery at the Art Miami art fair. Eymann’s first U.S. solo show took place at Avant Gallery in New York in March of 2020, just days after singer Marc Anthony acquired several of the artist’s paintings. Since then, Eymann has had several solo shows, participated in a number of group shows, and has been exhibited at Art Miami and Art Wynwood art fairs with Avant Gallery. Eymann currently lives and works out of France.

florian eymann

The Arnolfini Wedding, after Jan Van Eyck, 2023

Oil on canvas

Throughout Eymann's work, one may not know if the forces that inhabit them are destructive, generative, hostile or transformative. What may have been an original image has been covered with layers of unfathomable patterns, and seemingly all of a sudden, these accumulated layers were ripped off, allowing for glimpses of the original image. The ideas of time, deterioration, and the way that time ravishes our memories come to mind and evoke décollage artist Jacques Villeglé. In Eymann’s work, however, there are no posters or ads, but portraits of characters whose identities have been stripped away. Everything is in process, evolving through transformation, change, and the wearing effects of time.