BORN IN 1981 IN ORLÉANS, BENOIT HAVARD STARTED DRAWING AND PAINTING AT THE AGE OF SIX. AS A CHILD, HIS MOTHER TAKES HIM TO ART GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS WHERE HE IS ATTRACTED BY ENERGETIC WORKS LIKE THOSE OF THE FRENCH LANDSCAPER MICHEL JOUENNE. IN 1998, HE ENROLLED AT THE ÉCOLE DES BEAUX-ARTS DE CHERBOURG, WHERE LEJEUNE AND VALADIÉ BECAME HIS TEACHERS. BY AGE 19, HE WAS PAINTING FULL-TIME, FIRST EXPLORING WATERCOLORS ON TRIPS TO MOROCCO AND EVENTUALLY SETTLING INTO WORKING WITH OILS AND A PALETTE KNIFE. HIS PAINTINGS ARE SPONTANEOUS WORKS BASED ON A STUDY OF LIGHT AND CONTRASTS MORE THAN ON THE MINUTIAE OF DETAILS. UNDER THE SHARP STROKE OF A PALETTE KNIFE, PLAYING WITH TRANSPARENCY, STREAKS, AND FADES TO CREATE TEXTURE AND MOVEMENT, NEW YORK, LONDON OR PARIS APPEAR IN THEIR PUREST SHAPE AND ARE SATURATED WITH COLOURS. THE HARMONY HE CREATES, FROM WARM COLOURS TO BLUE GREYS, SLOWLY PUSHES HIS CREATIONS TOWARDS ABSTRACTION. BENOIT HAVARD HAS BEEN EXHIBITING IN SEVERAL GALLERIES IN FRANCE AND ABROAD SINCE 2004 AND HAS BEEN THE GUEST OF HONOUR AT SEVERAL EXHIBITIONS. HIS ARTWORKS CAN BE FOUND IN NOTABLE PRIVATE COLLECTIONS.