Biography
Born in Geneva, Switzerland, I grew up surrounded by the natural beauty and cultural richness of my homeland. Creativity was valued in my family, and it was my late grandfather, a craftsperson & artist, whose influence planted the seed for what would eventually become my life's passion.
In 1993, I began painting privately, experimenting with countless acrylics in A4 and then A3 notebooks. I was first drawn to non-figurative painting and abstract expressionism. Over time, and while I consider myself an atheist, I also developed a fondness for spiritual materials as they resonated with my exploration of human existence and the deeper truths of nature and life.
However, the path to truly becoming an artist wasn’t immediate.
For over three decades, I pursued an international business career that took me across the globe, from the United States to Morocco, Belgium, across Asia and France. My travels broadened my perspective, exposing me to a wide range of cultural influences. Wherever I went, I immersed myself in the local art scenes and engaged with the creative energy of each place.
Despite the focus on my business career, art was always a part of me, quietly simmering beneath the surface. For nearly 30 years, painting became a form of secret meditation for me—a way to break free from the world and focus on my inner self.
I have always found immense satisfaction in painting. Each new work is a journey where I can test my creativity, explore new techniques, and live through genuine experiences. Through my art, I have always hoped to offer others a sincere encounter with beauty, an opportunity to see the world from a different perspective and reflect on their own lives.
In 2021, after retiring from my business career, I fully committed to painting. I established my studio in Paris and began devoting myself entirely to my art. By the end of 2023, I launched my public artistic career, and, to my surprise, my work quickly gained recognition, finding homes in private collections all over Europe, especially in France, Portugal, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Artistic CV
My first solo exhibition, "Échos," held in Paris at the end of 2024, showcased a distinctive approach to art, away from traditional painting techniques: I paint with acrylics, metallic pigments, and sprays on the back of recycled extruded plexiglass, a light, smooth, glossy and sometimes fragile surface.
This process prevents me from seeing the work as it develops. I have no visual feedback or control during the process—something I welcome. I allow “random experiments” -anything goes to short-circuit reason !- to guide the outcome, the layers & mirror effects I create, and leave room for revelation and discovery when the piece is finally exposed. This approach that echoes with the revelation / fixation process of photography is challenging and liberating. The values of the composition are enriched by layers and transparencies, yet giving each work an “ascetic” quality: I am happy when I recognize “irreducible necessities”, i.e. what we are likely to discover when we stop in silence and light.
I keep my approach deliberately simple. Neither “emotion” nor “theoretical conception” but experience of being. Neither “rapid consumption” nor “intellectualization / intellectual possession”, but broadening of consciousness and exploration of reality, of its visible and invisible stories, my art is a quest for “life at the very heart of life”.
While my work might sometimes evoke the transparency and luminosity of stained glass, it remains almost entirely abstract. Moreover, plexiglass provides the painting with a shimmering skin where one can glimpse one's own silhouette, different to each new viewer. Each work acts like a discreet mirror: it lives, it changes, it sees.
The interplay of light, color, and texture, of the missing parts also, only requires empathy. Hopefully, the play between “details for the close” & “distance for the whole”, will encourage viewers to embark on their own introspective journeys.
I don't claim to have all the answers and want to remain humble about what can be achieved. Simply, I find satisfaction in the continuous process of questioning and growth. Each new creation is a confrontation with my limits, pushing me to refine my skills and explore further what I can accomplish. Painting to me is a daily craft, an exploration, a way to spark meaningful conversations.
As Jean Bazaine would say: "The daily practice multiplies the passion for seeing."
Anton Kaestner