“We are shaped and fashioned by what we love”, said Goethe.
From my first american loves to my last crushes, this series gathers some of the figures that build my own personal american culture.
We always believe that what we like, what we know, is shared by everybody, especially when we meet the “owners” of these attachments. Since moving here almost two years ago, I realized that, no, my favorite Americans are not the Americans’ ones. Some of them have achieved worldwide cult status, some are more famous in France than here, but all personify my past and present vision of this country which is hosting and changing me as an artist, like an evolving multilayered portrait. They all tell something about my relationship with the USA ; their faces and their work embody my ideal of America.
This is not the A-list spreading celebrities all over the world ; this is my Treasure Room, where I pay tribute to these compelling artists.
For me painting a portrait has something to do with digging. After hours of trying to capture this “je ne sais quoi” that nails a face, suddenly I recognize him or her as if we’ve known each other for a while.