Emile Bellet

Emile Bellet was a self-taught French artist who aligned himself with the Fauves, a group of early 20th-century painters including Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, Raoul Dufy, and Maurice de Vlaminck. Working with an impasto knife, Bellet mastered the Fauvist tradition of vivid, non-authentic colors, applying highly saturated hues to create elongated mannerist forms. His paintings often centered on a mysterious female figure representing timeless and ageless femininity.
Born in Provence, France in 1941, Bellet began painting at age 5 and held his first exhibition in 1960 at just 19 years old. At 12, he won first prize in a national art journal. His career gained momentum in 1976 when Galerie Guigne took notice of his work. In 1978, he completed the stained glass windows for the church Notre Dame de Bon Voyage in Port de Bouc, France, and was later commissioned by the Alpine Maritime Region to paint Travaux des Champs.
Bellet painted en plein air like the Impressionists, capturing the villages and scenery of his native France from his mountain home overlooking the Mediterranean. He held numerous exhibitions throughout France and internationally in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Switzerland, and Japan. Represented by Park West Gallery, Bellet delighted in sharing his work with collectors worldwide. He passed peacefully on July 1, 2022, survived by his wife Ile.