ANDREW BONNEAU
Still life with blue ceramics, brass pots, and shells, 2021
Oil on linen, 61 x 86 cm
SOLD
Drawing Skull
Oil on linen
40.8 x 45.8 cm
SOLD
Blue Vase, 2020
Oil on linen, 56 x 66.5 cm
SOLD
Five Horses
Oil on linen, 86.5 x 111.5 cm
SOLD
Andrew Bonneau
Temple of Aesclepius, Borghese Gardens, 2019
Oil on linen, 22.8 x 30.4 cm
$ 5800
Andrew Bonneau
As you walk into a suburban home in Trinity Beach, north of Cairns, only the prior knowledge of Andrew Bonneau’s paintings can prepare you for the Wunderkammer that is the artist’s studio. Accessible through a non-descript door off the entry hallway, in a converted garage, it allows no daylight. Standing lights are fixed firmly in their place, bathing with steady beams carefully arranged displays of Andrew’s future creations, from single-object meditations to complex multi-figure compositions.
The control of the light source, the stillness, and the timelessness are imperative to Andrew’s creative process. The mutable nature of daylight shifts the shadows and alters however subtly the silhouettes, highlights, saturation, and subtle hues of studied objects. Andrew’s art is not about chasing shadows. It is about a careful and meditative study of single objects, which then, and only then, are allowed to be incorporated into more complex compositions.
The walls of the studio are lined with shelves, teaming with objects and curios from the paintings past, present, and future. Whether collected on his international travels, or gifted by family and friends, they are a microcosm of Andrew’s existence. The plaster casts from the celebrated antique prototypes or the Renaissance masters reflect Andrew’s ongoing exploration of the Old Master techniques as well as his studies at the British Academy in Rome. Numerous statuettes and ceramics from India and South-East Asia illustrate the conspicuous presence of his partner, an Indian-born fashion designer. The carefully folded swathes of silk, intricately patterned and luminous with iridescent glow, sourced by her from India, are spirited by Andrew, furtively, from her in-house atelier across the entrance hallway. The middle eastern ceramics reflect his parents’ frequent sojourns in the Gulf and Northern African states. His own native region of Cairns in tropical Queensland is reflected by the abundance of shells, plumage of local birds, and the bountiful fruit, flowers, and foliage of the local flora.
Gradually, the gathered objects make their appearance in Andrew’s compositions. Initially, each and every curio in turn becomes the subject of intense scrutiny and minute observation. In pencil on paper or in oils on small panels, Andrew studies silhouettes and outlines, the bumps and the hollows, the local colour combinations, the shadows they cast and the nuances they present when seen from a variety of angles.
Only then, they are grouped by Andrew in more complex, multi-figure compositions. Initially, in groups of three or four, and then in more complex displays and combinations, these objects begin a silent dialogue with their ‘neighbours’, imparting hidden meanings, subtle allusions, and unexpected connotations.
No single inch of the painted surface is left untouched. Pigments bounce gracefully across the picture plane. The vibrant silks and tapestries inject a sensation of flow and movement. Period screens and vintage wallpapers enhance the illusory depths of the paintings and add immeasurably to the overall patterning of the gathered forms.
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Painter, draughtsman, and teacher, Andrew Bonneau studied in Sydney at the National Art School and Julian Ashton Art School, as well as privately under the tutelage of Charlie Sheard. He honed his craft and perfected his skills at the Grand Central Academy of Art in New York and the British Academy in Rome.
Andrew was a finalist in numerous prestigious art awards and prizes, including the Archibald Prize (2017), Perc Tucker Portrait Prize (2014, 2017), Moran Portrait Prize (2013, 2015), Black Swan Portrait Prize (2014-15), Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize (2014), and others. Andrew’s works reside at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, selected regional and tertiary collections, as well as corporate and private collections in Australia and abroad.
Selected Exhibitions
2001
Student Exhibition, National Art School, Sydney
2002
Student Exhibition, National Art School, Sydney
2003
Figure it Out- Life Drawing Exhibition, National Art School, Sydney
Inaugural Art on the Rocks Exhibition, The Rocks, Sydney
]Degree Show, National Art School, Sydney
2004
New Talent- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
I love a Sunburnt Country- Robin Gibson Gallery, Sydney
2005
Still Life- Robin Gibson Gallery Sydney
2006
Charlie Sheard Studio School 3rd Year Exhibition MLC Gallery, Sydney
2007
Drawn from Life Exhibition- Alpha Gallery, Newtown
2008
Lloyd Rees Youth Art Prize Sydney
Shotgun Exhibition- Alpha Gallery, Newtown
2009
Making Waves Exhibition, GEMS World Academy, Dubai
2010
Group Exhibition- MLC Gallery, Sydney
2011
Student Exhibition- Grand Central Academy of Art, New York, NY
2012
Student Exhibition- Grand Central Academy of Art, New York, NY
Group Exhibition- Institute of Classical Art and Architecture, New York, NY
AME Bale Travelling Art Scholarship Exhibition, Melbourne, VIC
2013
Moran Portrait Prize Exhibition, Juniper Hall, Sydney, NSW
I am Man Exhibition, Cell Gallery, Cairns, QLD
Paper, Works on and of, Tanks Art Centre, Cairns, QLD
2014
Gympie Regional Gallery Portrait Prize Exhibition, QLD
Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize Exhibition, Adelaide Perry Gallery, NSW
Stanthorpe Regional Gallery Art Prize Exhibition, Stanthorpe, QLD
Benalla Nude Art Prize Exhibition, Benalla Regional Gallery, VIC
Mandorla Art Award Exhibition, Perth, WA
Perc Tucker Portrait Prize Exhibition, Perc Tucker Gallery, QLD
Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize Exhibition, Bega, NSW
Black Swan Portrait Prize, Perth, WA
“Deconstructing Bloke” Exhibition, Cell Art Space, Cairns, QLD
AME Bale Travelling Art Scholarship Exhibition, Melbourne, VIC
“Emerging Contemporaries” Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, QLD
“Collectable Art” Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, QLD
Black Swan Portrait Prize, Perth, WA
2015
Group exhibition at St John of God Hospital, Perth WA
Moran Portrait Prize Exhibition, Juniper Hall, Sydney, NSW
2016
Group exhibition at Juniper Hall, Sydney
Solo exhibition at Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns
Solo exhibition- Sydney Grammar School
2017
Archibald Prize, AGNSW, Sydney NSW
2018
Personal Space- A K Bellinger Gallery, Inverell, NSW
Perc Tucker Portrait Prize exhibition, Townsville QLD
Education
2001-2003
Bachelor of Fine Art, National Art School, Sydney
2004-2006
Private study of Pre 20th Century Painting Techniques with Charlie Sheard, Sydney
2004-2007
Julian Ashton Art School, Sydney
2010-2013
Core Program at the Water Street Atelier, Grand Central Academy of Art, New York
Awards and Recognition
2003
”New Talent" Award, Robin Gibson Exhibition Award, National Art School BFA Graduation, Sydney
2003
Finalist in Inaugural Art on the Rocks Prize, Sydney
2012
Finalist in AME Bale Travelling Art Scholarship, Melbourne
2013
Finalist in Moran Portrait Prize, Sydney
2014
Finalist in Gympie Regional Gallery Portrait Prize, Gympie QLD
Finalist in Adelaide Perry Drawing Prize, Sydney NSW
Finalist in Stanthorpe Regional Gallery Art Prize, Stanthorpe NSW
Finalist in Benalla Nude Art Prize, Benalla VC
Finalist in Perc Tucker Portrait Prize, Townsville QLD
Finalist in the Mandorla Art Award, Perth, WA
Finalist in Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize, Bega NSW
Winner- Highly Commended in Black Swan Portrait Prize, Perth WA
Finalist in AME Bale Travelling Art Scholarship (Scholarship category), Melbourne, VIC
Finalist- Finalist in AME Bale Travelling Art Scholarship (Painting category), Melbourne, VIC
Finalist in AME Bale Travelling Art Scholarship (Drawing category), Melbourne, VIC
2015
Selected for “Emerging Contemporaries” exhibition in Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns, QLD.
Finalist in Black Swan Portrait Prize, Perth WA
Selected for exhibition at St John of God Hospital, Perth WA
Finalist in Moran Portrait Prize, Sydney
2016
Two month residency at Grand Central Atelier, New York City
2016
Selected for group exhibition at Juniper Hall, Sydney
Selected for solo exhibition at Cairns Regional Gallery, Cairns
2017
Artist in residence- Sydney Grammar School
2017
Finalist in Archibald Prize, Sydney NSW
2018
Finalist in Perc Tucker Portrait Prize, Townsville QLD
2018
Winner- William Fletcher Foundation Rome Residency
2018
Portrait commissioned by National Portrait Gallery, Canberra ACT
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