Sylvain Lefebvre
'The sea…if you knock on her door, you will see that if she lets you in, you will never leave again. We go back a long way, the sea and me, and these ships draw us together. Maybe this is why, when I am with her, I never feel alone. I have not actually asked her yet but I guess, if I am still alive today, she must also care for me. Even though, as with any other old couple, neither her nor me will ever raise the subject.
I had sailed for so long on her belly that one day it occurred to me that I had become more a man of the sea than of the land: I have spent more time treading metal gangways and exotic wood decks than walking on dry land. I have not actually finished listing all the ships I helped keep afloat… These ships were impossible. They would challenge nature and scoff at it… Just like a house of cards in stormy seas.'
- Epilogue, Les Carnets d'un marin, Sylvain Lefebvre
French painter Sylvain Lefebvre sees himself as an explorer of his own personal universe, an ‘imaginary wanderer in search of new lands’.
Inspired by a childhood of travelling with a father in theatre, Lefebvre’s paintings combine many influences – studying in Paris, teen years in England, visits to Brazil, a home near the Le Havre docks and later years on the Spanish border. These elements are mixed up with allusions to art history, literary references and motifs from popular culture, to create a strange, dream-like scenography.
The sense of miscellany in Lefebvre’s paintings is accentuated through his media. Synthetic polymer and gel paints are combined with collage, using found and rare papers which the artist spends years seeking out. Old wallpapers, packaging and letters written long ago layer each work with narratives for the viewer to interpret. Each canvas is a palimpsest on which different times, places and stories overlap.
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Isabelle Diving with the Whale, 2024
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Olivia by the Whale in the Sunlight Zone, 2024
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Viviane and the Light Blue Octopus, 2023
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The Mermaid by the Yellow Octopus, 2023
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Little Lutin Under the Pink Octopus, 2023
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Odile by the White Octopus, 2023
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Jeanne Under the Turquoise Blue Octopus, 2023
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Ninon and the Sap Green Octopus, 2023
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Barbara Under the Blue Octopus, 2023
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Adèle and the Olive Green Octopus, 2023
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Alice by the Red Octopus, 2023
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Geneva by the Yellow Octopus, 2023
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Tatiana Sleeping by the Red Octopus, 2023
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The Edge of the Mysterious Wood, 2022
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Balade with a young dinosaure, 2021
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The Wandering Elephant, 2021
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The Wise Whale and the Young Girl, 2021
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Swimming with Baby Whales, 2020
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Catherine with the Right Whale, 2020
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The Card Players, 2019
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The Green Speckled Whale, 2019
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The Blue Marbled Whale, 2019
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Tom with the Grey Whale, 2019
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The Speckled Whale, 2019
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A Pod of Funny Whales, 2019
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Carmen meeting a Right whale, 2019
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Tea Time For Tom, 2016
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Man At Sea at the "Mantecados", 2013
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The "Stella Bus Boat", 2013
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The "Pick Pocket", 2013
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The "Varoli" Crossing the Pacific, 2013
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Cards on the Deck, 2013
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"Le Gibus", 2013
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The "Yellow Sabater", 2013
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The Two Gipsies, 2013
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Mister Osbourne and his Two Daughters, 2013
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A Town in the Morning, 2009
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Sylvain Lefebvre: Sauvage
30 April - 29 May 2021 LondonIn his new exhibition, Sauvage, the French artist, Sylvain Lefebvre, invites us to save ourselves on a journey through the dreamlike oceans and untamed forests of his imagination. It is...Read more -
Springtime
Group Show 9 April - 31 May 2020Inside Springtime, an exhibition by contemporary artists such as Rose Blake, Nyarapayi Giles, Mersuka Dopazo and Pauline and Emma Wangin at the Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery in London.Read more -
Very Like a Whale
Sylvain Lefebvre 7 September - 1 October 2016 LondonFrench painter Sylvain Lefebvre sees himself as an explorer of his own personal universe, an ‘imaginary wanderer in search of new lands’. His highly-anticipated second exhibition in London reveals worlds...Read more -
Timeless Voyages
Sylvain Lefebvre 30 May - 29 June 2013 London'The sea…if you knock on her door, you will see that if she lets you in, you will never leave again. We go back a long way, the sea and...Read more