Bernard Piffaretti

Bernard Piffaretti has developed a body of work based on repetition and the analysis of the components of painting. After studying at the School of Fine Arts in Saint-Etienne from 1973 to 1979, he developed the “Piffaretti system” in 1986. This system consists of creating works composed of two panels separated by a vertical strip, in which one panel attempts to duplicate the other. The artist explores the fading distinction between the copy and the original, emphasizing the impossibility of perfect reproduction. Sometimes, the second panel remains blank due to the complexity of the shapes. Piffaretti also creates drawings after paintings, reversing the concept of preparatory sketches.

Bernard Piffaretti was born in Saint-Etienne in 1955 and currently lives and works in Paris. Solo exhibitions include Lisson Gallery, Shanghai (2021); Lisson Gallery, New York (2019); Lisson Gallery, Los Angeles (2018); Galerie Frank Elbaz, Paris (2020, 2014); Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles (2018); Centre Pompidou, Paris (2018); Kate Macgarry, London (2017); KLEMM’S Gallery, Berlin (2016); Cherry and Martin, Los Angeles (2015); Musée Matisse, Le Cateau-Cambrésis (2008); and Cheim & Read, New York (2002). Major group exhibitions include Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles (2018) and Cheim & Read, New York (2002).