André Brasilier
b. 1929 | French

Les buisson ardents

Signed “André Brasilier” (lower right); signed, dated and inscribed "Pour Alexis. Mai 1982" (en verso)
Oil on canvas

Swirling with bold color and a herd of majestic horses, this striking oil on canvas encapsulates the unique style of French painter André Brasilier. Brasilier is known for his colorful expressionist compositions that pulsate with energy and his love of the natural world, and this work, entitled Les buissons ardentshighlights his deep spiritual connection to horses, one of the most important subjects throughout his oeuvre.

Forming the focal point of the composition, the horses gather peacefully in their idyllic roadside pasture. The dramatic tilt of the composition and the glowing orange flare of trees against a vast sky infuse the scene with a stirring, other-worldly effect and reveal the artist’s expressionist influences. The fiery tree line inspires the painting’s title, which translates to “burning bushes,” a subtle religious reference that underscores Brasilier’s interest in capturing an ineffable, spiritual world in paint. For the artist, horses epitomize the majesty of the divine, describing them as “a superb creation... charged with symbolism, strength, dynamism and beauty.” This perspective shines through here in Brasilier’s highly emotional vision of his favorite creatures in their resplendent environment.

Born to two accomplished artists, Brasilier was naturally drawn to painting, and at the age of 20, he moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. Brasilier has received several prestigious awards, including the 1952 Prix Florence Blumenthal and the 1953 Prix de Rome. He is also one of only two artists (the other being Pablo Picasso) honored with a retrospective at Saint Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum during their lifetime. He has exhibited works alongside legends such as Picasso, Braque, Chagall and Miro, and he is represented in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).

Painted 1982

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by André Brasilier.