A French painter, Julien des Monstiers was born in 1983 in Limoges. He lives and works between Faye-la-Vineuse and Paris. He graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2008, where he studied under Jean-Michel Alberola.
Since 2016, Julien des Monstiers has been represented by the Galerie Christophe Gaillard (Paris, Brussels, Le Tremblay), which has dedicated six solo exhibitions to him to date.
Julien des Monstiers has also participated in numerous group exhibitions at both public and private institutions (Mo.Co 2023, Yvon Lambert Collection 2019, Fondation Ricard 2015, Palais de Tokyo 2014), as well as artist residencies abroad. He has received several prestigious awards, including the Marin Prize in 2015, the Yishu8 Prize in 2017, the Pierre Cardin Prize in 2019, and the Simone and Cino Del Duca Painting Prize in 2022.
In 2024, two major institutions will host a monographic exhibition of his work: the Château de Chambord and Suquet des Artistes (Cannes). On this occasion, a new book on the artist will be published by Éditions Martin de Halleux.
Through his virtuoso and innovative approach to oil painting, Julien des Monstiers is now regarded as a rising figure in contemporary art. Hunting scenes, animal paintings, patterns, landscapes, tapestries—these are all subjects that serve as pretexts for the painter, who constantly explores the limits of the medium. His works must be viewed with attention: it is the painting itself, as pure material, that remains the true object of obsession in his practice.