Jean Claracq (b.1991, Bayonne, France) lives and works in Paris
Painter of miniatures and icons, Jean Claracq’s practice lands at the intersection between painting, photography and digital art. The subjects of his paintings are people pulled from social networks that belong to marginalised or culturally difficult communities, depicted in Claracq’s works in a way reminiscent of Old Masters, and even medieval tradition. His miniature oils on wood thereby evoke the feeling of timelessness while being strikingly contemporary in references to pop culture, Internet and video games. Honouring the quotidian moments and creating an imaged reality, the artist visualises the loneliness and alienation so common in online spaces and urban environments.
Jean Claracq has had solo exhibitions in institutions such as Musée National Eugène Delacroix (Paris) ; Galerie Sultana (Paris); Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris); and has participated in group exhibitions in Hangar Y, Meudon, (France) ; Villa noailles, (Hyères); MO.CO (Montpellier); Grimm Gallery (London) ; FRAC Pays de Loire, (Nantes, 2023) ; Soft Touch, Sultana Summer Set, (Arles, 2023) ; Mendes Wood DM (Brussels); Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (Paris); Fondation d’entreprise Pernod Ricard (Paris) ; Manifesto of fragility, 16ème Biennale de Lyon (Lyon), among many others. In 2023, he was awarded the Prix Pierre Cardin in Painting by the Académie des Beaux-Arts.