Julien Charles André was born in Nice, France in 1980, to a family with a long history of architectural design and craftsmanship.
His great grandfather, A. Boutillier, was a master of printing with an atelier producing travel trunk labels for the most exclusive luxury hotels in Paris in the early 20th century.
Drawing inspiration from his great grandfather, Julien developed a strong interest in art and design — in particular with colours, shapes and print-making.
He began collecting antique engravings and started experimenting with colour variations and mixed media, mostly paper and goldleaf, to create collages alongside his work as a visual merchandiser for luxury retail stores.
In 2016, he went on an inspirational trip to Tuscany at Villa Lena Art Foundation, where he created his first series with a Greek Divinity theme. After returning to London, he began exhibiting works in hotels and restaurants across London, Paris and Aix-en-Provence. More recently, he has developed new themes: Architecture and the Animal Kingdom, as well as bespoke commissions and framing for collectors and interior designers.
Without any formal art training, he creates compositions based on how he experiences and interacts with objects and themes, experimenting with how to represent classical art forms in a contemporary setting. His works sit between neo-classical, pop-art and decorative interior design without clear boundaries.
His instantly recognisable style projects his belief that modern art shouldn't have to be complicated or distance itself from its audience. He developed his own technique of creating 3D light-box effects through layering paper with striking colour reflections in goldleaf 'shadows'.
He strongly believes it is possible to achieve strong artistic vision with decorative purposes at the same time. Each piece is uniquely created in its own universe of emotions, atmosphere and surreal settings, closely connected to the experiences and connections he has with each subject.
Permanent shows:
Frame Smith ·
Le Vieux Comptoir ·
The Gojk ·
Black Rabbit Café
Press:
Le Pigalle ·
Ici Londres