Biography
Bertrand Meniel (b. 1961, Boulogne Billancourt, France) has embraced digital photographic technology perhaps more so than any other Photorealist. The compositions of his paintings are assembled from multiple photographs and incorporate a tremendous amount of detail. Despite working in fast-drying acrylics, Meniel is able to incorporate more information into each of his paintings than any other Photorealist to date. From a technical standpoint, he is unsurpassed. Meniel’s premiere exhibition in the United States was held at the Louis K. Meisel Gallery in 1999, and he continues to exhibit his paintings internationally; he is a self-taught artist.
Bertrand Meniel is one of the few French photorealists who has gained international recognition with his impressive works. His art is characterized by extraordinary attention to detail and precision, setting him apart from the numerous photorealists today. What makes Meniel's art fascinating is not just how he blurs the boundaries between photography and painting. It is primarily the choice of his subjects. Unusually for a non-American painter, he accurately portrays the globally recognized longing places of the "American Way of Life." These include the Art Deco buildings of Miami, the dream factory of Hollywood, and, above all, the "Big Apple" New York, depicted in his paintings. Paintings that are so detailed that they resemble high-resolution photographs but simultaneously possess the emotional depth and artistic compression that sets them apart from works with similar motifs by American and non-American painter colleagues. Besides Meniel's brilliant technical skills, he can infuse his paintings with a specific emotional "New York State of Mind," immersing himself in this unique atmosphere.
-Otto Letze from the introduction of Bertrand Meniel: Paintings, 1996-2024
“As an artist, I would like the painting to be an exercise in intelligence, tolerance, and adventure. But perhaps it is only a tendency to the fastidious observation of things. And that’s not so bad. The purpose of every paintings is to satisfy the ardent gaze of the viewer.”
-Bertrand Meniel