Pavane IV, 2018 – 2019,  Oil on braided canvases © ADAGP, 2023.

François Rouan is one of France’s greatest painter, and at 8O, he is showing new works at Galerie Templon, a firework of colors and braided canvases which are immediately recognizable. This alumni of Villa Medicis in Rome befriended Balthus, who invited him to pait in his chalet of  La Rossinière near Gastaad. I saw there some of his works hanging on the walls. He has shown in museums in Tokyo, Beijing and Düsseldorf and had a retrospective of his work at Centre Pompidou in 1983. Pierre Matisse was exhibiting his paintings as early as 1972 in New York. His small group of faithful friends collect his works and a Belgian collector commissioned a fresco for his swimming pool in Brussels as well as a wisteria wooden support. I recently ran into one of his black and white braided canvas in Chantilly. His style is unique and thus very easy to recognize.

Odalisque Flanders, VI, 2010, oil on braided canvas, 125 000€