Ben Arpéa Paints a World Where Beauty and Functionality Meet

Recently in New York, multi-disciplinary artist Ben Arpéa raised the curtain on a private exhibition of works alongside Camille Pouyfaucon Gallery. Here, the dynamic artist welcomed new art lovers and seasoned collectors alike to immerse themselves in his perceptive, painterly gestures across a rush of vibrant creations. 

The Paris-based visionary has had a buzzing year, including a glowing solo show at Camille Pouyfaucon Gallery titled “Inside out,” as well as a much-anticipated booth at Design Miami Basel last June. These acclaimed endeavors join past, globetrotting shows in Hong Kong, Dubai, Mexico City, Los Angeles, New York, Geneva, Brussels—with ardent support by French curator Laurence Dreyfus—where the artist’s singular fusion of fine art and sculpture truly knows no bounds. 

Admiration of Artists Like David Hockney Leads to a Singular Creative Language

Sprouting from a childhood adoration of art, while surrounded by a family of spirited art collectors, Arpéa found a warm creative language in drawing and painting. 2020 brought about powerful industry recognition for his mesmeric works of geometric abstraction, with compressed realms of radiant color and texture giving way to semi-figurative treasures for the eyes. Invoking modern and contemporary greats like Tom Wesselmann, David Hockney, Jonas Wood, and André Breton, Arpéa has created a mystical realm all his own. 

Precisely placed motifs of the past dance with classical landscape imagery and still life symphonies. A surrealist, pop art rhythm ensues when voyaging through the artist’s paintings and furniture, and meticulously selected materials like jute and linen canvas bring an organic allure. Arpéa stretches his own canvases, uniting paint with pebbles or sand for a nuanced conversation with Mother Nature in each unique piece. 

In this year’s rapturous presentation at Design Miami Basel last June, the artist showcased a “Design” exhibition with 193 Gallery. The hand-crafted pieces appeared as if miraculously pulled from Arpéa’s own paintings, with lush colors and sensual contours that spoke to our hypnotic and striking natural environment. “Each piece is an invitation to rediscover our connection with nature, through forms and materials that tell a story, that of a world where beauty and functionality meet harmoniously,” said Arpéa.

“Each piece is an invitation to rediscover our connection with nature, through forms and materials that tell a story, that of a world where beauty and functionality meet harmoniously,” —Ben Arpéa

Within these transformative works, a portal to the peaceful Mediterranean sea and sky was offered through a soft window-like painting, while the beguiling rawness of stone and wood had a profound grounding effect in the form of vases, tables, and artistic panels. Verdant shades of sunshine yellow, nautical navy, and grass green were placed in dialogue with soothing violet, cream, and orange. Geometrical stripes supported organic, free-form shapes in loving accord. 

Summoning Viewers into Gossamer, Spiritual Realms in New York

The most recently exhibited paintings strike a tender chord with titles such as According to the waves (2024) and Here comes the sun 1 (2024), summoning viewers into gossamer, spiritual realms where heaven and earth are one magnificent entity. Euphonious scenes of sunrise and sunset introduce the life force as their protagonist, shining down purely on well-nourished, tranquil landscapes. Arpéa calls out the child in all of us to pause for an enchanting yet truthful narrative, that which uplifts flora and fauna in all its endless glory.