Bénédicte François was born in 1966 and lives in Liège.
She signs her works “François B”.
Discreet, does she wish to hide?
Where does she hide?
By nature timid and reserved, Bénédicte unveils herself modestly to those who can earn her trust. Inspired by the iconography of the 1950s, her work exudes a gentle sensitivity made of harmonious shapes and colors.
Her vision is not conceptual, and her paintings reflect her spontaneity and emotions. She is deeply moved by the feelings her work evokes: a shiver, an emotion…
A wild and whimsical personality, a lover of freedom, the artist seeks to focus her creative energy on the roundness of forms.
Rejecting anything static, she loves the whirlwind…
Sometimes exuberant, always smiling and full of life, attentive to others, she is in constant motion and cannot stay still.
Her creativity awakens in phases, which she describes as a gift from heaven…
When the urge to paint strikes, her passion knows no bounds.
Impatient, she’s a “restless soul” who dives headlong into her creative impulses, bathed in vibrant and shimmering colors. Resolutely positive.
Highly sensitive, she values the enlightened opinions of those who recognize themselves in her work.
From her childhood, she retained a magnetic attraction to colored pencils, and later to acrylic paint.
Linen and vintage Japanese papers are among her favorite materials for their unique textures and personalities.
Many of her paintings are highlighted by natural wood American-style frames…
Free Figures
Discovering a parallel, abstract, and sensual world inhabited by singular forms.
“Form is the depth rising to the surface,” wrote Victor Hugo. In Bénédicte François’ paintings, the depth—rich with countless promises—is a masterful palimpsest of pigments, from which emerges an abstraction filled with whimsy, enchanting clarity, and liberation from any kind of aesthetic diktat. Driven by the artist’s extraordinary creativity, this endlessly renewed abstraction takes over the expanse, multiplying into volatile waves, luminous planes, and vibrant colors.
Water evaporating from the surface of a lake, escaping gravity to transform into vapor swirls illuminated by fleeting reflections, must feel a similar pull toward the vastness of space. Bénédicte François’ painting expresses a powerful yearning for freedom, an irrepressible longing for elsewhere. What emerges carries us to high altitudes, where the view is clear and where both symbols and lines are imbued with enchantment.
On the surface of the canvas, a script unfolds that demands careful, deliberate observation. Endless curves trace an alphabet of bold meanders, while unknown shapes invent figures resonating with unexpected echoes. Other forms, encircled in black and filled with radiant colors, emerge like the shimmering fruits of mystery.
This powerful chromatic proclamation resists association with anything already familiar to the eye. Here, painting is the deeply personal and original expression of an atypical inner world. While one may discern strong artistic kinships (with Raoul Ubac, for instance), it carves its path away from beaten tracks. Rarely does abstract painting break so decisively with the codes of the genre.
Faced with Bénédicte François’ profoundly sensitive works, one must learn to disconnect the mind. Let go. Immerse oneself in the painting and surrender to emotion—without prejudice, with the innocence of a child. One will then experience a kind of bliss, born from the vibrations of the material, the intensity of the colors, and the fertility of the forms. Here, painting is a departure point to the unknown. Embarkation is always possible, and the journey carries no risk at all.
Ludovic Duhamel – Editor-in-Chief, Miroir de l’Art
| 2019 – Hôtel de Warzée, Liège | Private exhibition |
| 2020 – The Street Lodge, Liège | Private exhibition |
| 2021 – Avenue Blonden, Liège | Private exhibition |
| 2022 – Avenue Blonden, Liège | Private exhibition |
| 2022 – Ojo Gallery, Lisbon Portugal | Group exhibition |
| 2023 – Avenue Blonden, Liège | Private exhibition |
| 2023 -Sablon d’Art, Brussels | Group exhibition |
| 2024: Ferme de la Chapelle, La Reid | Group exhibition |
| 2024 -Colors Kaspers, Gordes, France | Solo exhibition |
| 2024 -Sablon d’Art, Brussels | Group exhibition |
