Canadian artist Kim Dorland exhibits for the first time in France, in Bordeaux

Canadian artist Kim Dorland is exhibiting her paintings for the first time in France, in Bordeaux, at François Xavier Bertrand's house-gallery. A fascinating place to discover

François Xavier Bertrand welcomes Canadian artist Kim Dorland to France for the first time, in partnership with the Patel Brown Gallery in Toronto. A major figure on the North American contemporary scene, Kim Dorland creates landscapes where nature is in tension, with a heavy touch of paint, lightened by explosions of pop art-style color. It's not easy to describe her raw, emotional, and introspective world. Kim Dorland exhibits in Los Angeles, New York, Quebec City, and more. François Xavier Bertrand discovered her eight years ago in Italy. "When you look at my favorite choices, nature and materials are predominant: wood, palm, feathers, lichen, wicker...", smiles the gallery owner.

Entering the Maison François Xavier Bertrand is like being transported to Wonderland, to Alice's house. Before us, a maze-like cabinet of curiosities, where ceramic owls (by the Dutch artist Carolein Smit , exhibited at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris), surrealist feather figurines by the Italian Andreas Senoner , shamanic masks made of palm and wicker from Central America, but also lamps, paintings (Thierry Carrier, François Bard, etc.) wait patiently.

François Xavier Bertrand originally opened a hair salon in 2009. It was starting to get overwhelmed by his hobby: artwork. With the help of Covid, he "took the plunge. Now, we're in my passion, here, in a 'collection house' where I exhibit around fifty of my favorite artists." In 2020, he took over the adjoining apartment, tore everything down, and redid the whole thing to create an atmosphere and "not a white cube in which people feel like they're in a cold room."

Why a gallery? "First of all, to show people that when people say 'that doesn't suit my home,' it's a misconception: art isn't decoration. Art is an encounter you have with an object. When I see a work, I don't choose it based on where I'm going to put it, based on the color of my wall; I choose the work for itself. And whether I put it anywhere, it always works."

Although he has an emotional approach to art, François Xavier Bertrand doesn't hesitate when it comes to money: "You see those Thierry Carriers there? Next year, he'll be at the Grand Palais again and prices will explode. So it's better to buy now. Afterwards, if it's like buying a Rolex because otherwise you feel like you've wasted your life, it's pointless. That's not my philosophy. I'm here to share, to help people discover. Not just to make great deals... As for payments, we always work things out."

François Xavier Bertrand Art House , 74, rue du loup, Bordeaux. Monday to Saturday: 11 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m. – 7 p.m. 05 56 81 73 42 or [email protected]