The 20th century the Neo Expressionist Master, Bernard Buffet (1928-1999), was praised by critics and the media as "The Successor of Realism", "The Pope of Art in France", and one of "The Post-war Top Ten Most Outstanding Artists." Even masters, such as Picasso and Andy Warhol, praised Buffet as an artistic genius. Buffet became a globally well-known artist due to his highly distinguishable style, movie star-like international exposure and anecdotal tales. Attracting collectors from across the globe, he was highly prolific, creating more than 8,000 works in his lifetime. In recent years, his works have regained attention in the art market, repeatedly setting new records at international auctions. Roughly half of his top 20 auction sales have been his iconic "clown" paintings.

Bor n in 1928 in Paris, Buffet grew up in the coastal region of Brittany, France. With a sensitive and delicate personality, he was always most at ease in nature surrounded by living creatures. His difficulties in school could not obscure his natural artistic talent. His 1948 painting Le Buveur, originally exhibited at the Drouant-David Gallery, has since become part of the collection at the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art.

In the same year, Galerie David-Garnier recognized his talents and signed on to be his agent. Buffet also won the Prix de la Critique which propelled him into the limelight. The originally shy and awkward young man was then instantly transformed into an artistic prodigy chased by the spotlight. The characters in Buffet's early paintings were often thin and pale with blank-staring eyes, just like a shell of a soulless body. Such imagery revealed the painter's disappointment and sorrow about war and human nature, establishing his artistic style as emotional and poignant.

Former French President Chirac once said: "Buffet concretely illustrated the suffering of post-war France. He wholeheartedly expressed the situation of weakness, suffering, and poverty." As the economy recovered after the war, however, with packaging and praises from the print media, Buffet became the representative of Expressionism in France. He also achieved great success in the art market with new artistic themes and exhibitions for consecutive years, enabling him to leave poverty behind and bravely experiment with various subjects. Buffet was not a conversationalist, and often communicated his feelings about people and matters via paintings. He painted an empty studio, his good friend's gallery storefront, and the forests where he went with lovers for strolls handin-hand. He wrote his diary with his paint brush, expressing a multitude of complex emotions such as joy, sorrow, depression, and warmth.

When he was a student at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Buffet frequented the Louvre to study the art masterpieces. While developing his own individual style, he also followed the footsteps of art masters in the past, and paid tribute to his predecessors by recreating their masterpieces. During the 2016 Buffet Retrospective Exhibition organized by the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, which showcased his works such as Tribute to Courbet – The Nap, Tribute to Rembrandt – The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, and Tribute to Soutine – Carcass of Beef, it was possible to see the unusual talent, ambition and the refined painting skills of this young artist. It was basically the opening act of Buffet flourishing on the world stage.

In 1995, all other artistic masters, including Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Edgar Degas, Georges Rouault, and Georges-Pierre Seurat, created a Le Cirque series. Buffet did not shy away from the challenge and presented his own Le Cirque series in his solo exhibition the following year. In addition, Buffet again achieved unprecedented success after the official debut of his Clown blanc au chapeau series won thunderous applause.

As his fame grew, invitations flew in for exhibitions in the U.S. and Europe. The clown paintings created during this period still retained a large gray area of gradation as the simple background, which highlighted the figure in the center. The exaggerated magnificent costume served to offset the weary and depressive facial expressions. The dramatic tension was centered around the face of the clown, with knitted brows, downward laugh lines as well as the corners of the mouth.

The clown figure originated from the Italian comedy in the 17th century, initially with the intention to express innate wisdom in support of justice. Many famous artists in history have made attempts at the clown subjects, including Jean-Antoine Watteau, Paul Cézanne, and Pablo Picasso.

However, very few artists have succeeded in creating profound expressions of joy and sorrow as Buffet. The true human nature is more often a blank state or emptied emotions. The "head of a clown" was perhaps a mirror image of the artist's inner self that transcended its contours and outlines, maximizing humanity by going beyond the surface appearance and exposing all directly to the viewers. The clown has never been so naked and sincere. Etched in the heart of each viewer is the expression of the clown's eyes, which has become synonymous with Buffet's art.

For nearly 40 years between 1956 to 1992, Buffet did not showcase his Le Cirque or clown series paintings in a thematic exhibition, but he never stopped playing with clown figures or painting altogether. Conversely, he expanded this context as if opening a new horizon. As his character paintings became more diverse, the artist began to include his personal family life in his works, such as his series on Jeanne d'Arc, La Corrida, Femmes Déshabillé, Les Folles, Annabel, and Danièle et Virginie.

In particular, the completely changed the Clown with Tophat paintings the late 1960's and Les Folles series in the 1970's seemed to serve as the bridge connecting the 1956 Le Cirque series and the 1992 Les Clowns Musiciens series. During this time, the figures abandoned their miserable and bored appearance of the early period, and added dramatic eyebrows, red hair, long eyelashes, as well as playful and colorful outfits. In the Les Folles series, Buffet again provided proof of his unparalleled skills with spectacular group portraits and outstanding complex techniques in his large paintings of three meters long or giant paintings up to six meters long.

In 1971, Buffet was appointed the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur by the French government. In 1974, he was formally elected as a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, painting section. Both served as the official recognition of Buffet as a supreme French artist and a grand master of art. In the late 1990's, the confident and piercing eyes of the original red-hair clown softened, adding a touch of playfulness and kindness. The original wooden facial expression also began to smile. After the war, the French art community enjoyed a close connection with the Japanese art community. Thus, Buffet's forceful painting style naturally swept Japan.

Among them, Kiichiro Okano, a banker in Shizuoka Prefecture, collected more than one thousand paintings by Bernard Buffet, and built a museum dedicated to his art. Also, the 1987 Buffet Exhibition held at the art museum in Aichi Prefecture chose a clown painting as the image on the publicity poster. Not to mention the lithographs that used clowns as the subject, which are hard to come by as they would sell out in an instant.

In 1992, the Les Clowns Musiciens series was launched as scheduled at the Galerie Maurice Garnier on Avenue Matignon. Exhibited again after decades, the clown series showed paintings of paired red-haired clowns wearing bright and exaggerated garments, with even whiter faces painted with red noses, dimples and very high eyebrows. The composition was structured like a stage layout. The figures looked into each other's eyes with a smile, and played in concert the piano, or the organ or bass instrument in their hands. The viewers seem to be able to participate in the joy of the performance without realizing it, though they can only observe it all as a bystander.

Contemplating the artist's emotional state, we may visualize the event as the artist in his old age after his life reaches climax, before becoming open and carefree at the end of a vibrant performance. The criticism or praises of the outside world no longer mattered. In 1996, the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts held a Buffet Retrospective Exhibition, which caused quite a sensation as the artist and his wife came to Taiwan to participate in the event. It was further evidence that Buffet's char m reached far and wide among the collectors in Asia. It was also one of few rare and precious opportunities for exchange between the artist and the art community of the Chinese-speaking world.

For this spring auction, SELECT section will present the portrait of Clown aux tasses à café, featuring a bright green background in contrast with the orange-red hair of the clown and bright yellow bow tie. Both of his blue eyes are looking upward while balancing three sets of coffee cups on his head. One corner of his mouth curves upward in a smile with a cute expression, as if he is pleased with his successful performance. It's difficult to imagine that hiding behind the lively and humorous painting style was Buffet's suffering from Parkinson's disease at the time. He had to change his brushstrokes by the deliberate use of a paint knife, scraping off paint to create textures of shallowness and depth. The textures balance the black outlines but actually serve to strengthen the power of the painting while enhancing the theme. That is, faced with difficulties in life, the artist never gave up on his artistic endeavors, and movingly persisted until the very end.